SIX 


THE 

LDEN     I  Mtl 

SERIES 


IRIOSITH 


GIFT  OF 
SEELEY  W.  MUDD 

and 

GEORGE  I.  COCHRAN    MEYER  ELSASSER 
DR.  JOHN  R.  HAYNES    WILLIAM  L.  HONNOLD 
JAMES  R.  MARTIN         MRS.  JOSEPH  F.  SARTORI 

to  the 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
SOUTHERN  BRANCH 


JOHN  FISKE 


Ye  Olden  Time  Series. 


DURING  the  Spring  of  1886  TICKNOR  AND  COMPANY  began  the  publi- 
cation of  "YE  OLDEN  TIME  SERIES,  OR  GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  OLD 
NEWSPAPERS,  CHIEFLY  OF  BOSTON  AND  SALEM,"  with  brief  Comments 
by  HENRY  M.  BROOKS,  of  Salem,  Massachusetts.  Six  volumes  are  now 
ready  :  each  in  i  vol.  i6mo.  Cloth.  Price,  50  cents  per  vol. 

Of  this  Series  there  are  now  ready :  — 

Vol.  i    CURIOSITIES   OF  THE   OLD    LOTTERY. 
"   n    DATS  OF   THE    SPINNING-WHEEL  IN  NEW  ENGLAND. 
"  nt    NEW-ENGLAND    SUNDAY. 
"  IV.    QUAINT   AND   CURIOUS    ADVERTISEMENTS. 
••     V.    SOME   STRANGE  AND   CURIOUS   PUNISHMENTS. 
"  VI    LITERARY   CURIOSITIES. 

The  Series  will  be  continued,  and  the  following  are  some  of  the  titles  of 
forthcoming  volumes :  — 
"  New-England  Music  in  the  Latter  Fart  of  the  18th  and  In  the  Beginning 

of  the  19th  Century." 

"Travel  In  Old  Times,  with  Some  Account  of  Stages,  Taverns,  etc." 
" Curiosities  of  Politics,  among  the  Old  Federalists  and  Republicans." 


"  What  Mr.  Brooks  has  thus  gleaned  has  a  noteworthy  interest,  not  only  as 
offering  a  fund  of  amusement  to  young  and  old,  but  as  having  a  certain  value 
to  the  student  of  New-England  history,  and  an  instructiveness  for  the  general 
reader."  —  Boston  Advertiser. 

"  A  treat  of  good  things  out  of  the  past.  While  not  professing  to  be  history, 
they  will  contain  much  material  for  history."  —  Literary  World. 


Sold  by  all  Booksellers.     Sent,  post-paid,  on  receipt  of  price  by  the  Pub- 
lishers, 

TICKNOR    AND    COMPANY,  BOSTON. 


THE  OLDEN  TIME  SERIES 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES 


Newspapers  will  ultimately  engross  all  literature.  —  LAMARTINE. 

The  careful  reader  of  a  few  good  newspapers  can  learn  more 
in  a  year  than  most  scholars  do  in  their  great  libraries. —  F.  B. 
SANBORN. 

No  good  book,  or  good  thing  of  any  sort,  shows  its  best  face  at 
first.  —  CARLYLE. 


THE   OLDEN   TIME   SERIES. 

GLEANINGS  CHIEFLY  FROM  OLD    NEWSPAPERS  OF  BOSTON 
AND  SALEM,   MASSACHUSETTS 

SELECTED  AND  ARRANGED,  WITH   BRIEF  COMMENTS 
BY 

HENRY    M.    BROOKS 
*  *  *  *  *  * 

Literary    Curiosities 


"  Old  and  new  make  the  warp  and  woof  of  every  moment.  There  is 
no  thread  that  is  not  a  twist  of  these  two  strands.  By  necessity,  by 
proclivity,  and  by  delight,  we  all  quote."  —  EMERSON 


Copyright,.  1 886, 
BY    TlCKNOR    AND    COMPANY. 

All  rights  reserved. 


JOHN  WILSON  AND  SON,  CAMBRIDGE. 


v;  (> 


INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


PAGE 

ADAMS,  JOHN 82,  107 

Adams,  Rev.  Mr 8 

Adams,  Sally 8 

Aiken,  Rev.  Mr 125 

Aldrich,  Mrs. 105 

Anclrd,  Major ill 

Arnold,  Benedict     .     .     .     .  32,  33 
Averell,  Joseph 7 

BARNARD,  EDWARD      ...  19 

Barnard,  Rev.  Thomas     ...  19 

Barnard,  Thomas,  D.D.   ...  19 

Bay  ley,  Matthew 105 

Belcher,  Governor 6 

Belcher,  Miss 5 

Binney,  Spencer 8 

Birbeck,  Morris 42 

Blunt,  John 39 

Blunt,  Mary  Ann 39 

Bons,  Francis 103 

Bowen,  Henry 9 

Bowes,  John 102 

Bradstreet,  Anne 69 

Breed,  James 7 

Brent,  Eleanor 65 

Brent,  Robt 65 

Briggs,  Enos 118 

Brodie,  Charlotte  B 9 

Brookley,  John       103 

Bulkeley,  Peter 68 


PAGE 

Bullard,  Polly 7 

Bulow       in 

Burt,  Emily 8 

Burton,  Francis 12 

Button,  John 104 

CABOT,  J 30 

Cameron,  Mary 104 

Cass,  Lewis 46 

Cass,  Miss 47 

Casteguedo,  F.  L 102 

Checkley,  Samuel 6 

Checkley,  William 6 

Cheever,  Master 125 

Clough,  Sally n 

Clough,  Samuel 17 

Cobbett,  William 123 

Columbus,  Christopher     ...     16 

Consist,  Francis 103 

Cook,  Nancy 12 

Cotton,  Charles 82 

Cranston,  Polly 6 

Cromwell,  Oliver 70 

Currier,  Samuel n 

Gushing,  T.  C 62 

DALAND,  JACK      .....    13 

Davis,  Benjamin 4 

De  Cugna,  Numas       ....  101 
De  la  Roche  Sur  Yon      .     .     .115 


Vlll 


INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


PAGE 
De  Lametter,  Christina    .     .     .105 

Derby,  E.  H 117,  118 

Desmond,  Countess  ....  102 
Dextes,  Lord  Timothy  13,  14,  15,16 

Dodge,  John 96 

Douglass,  Dr 57(5$ 

Drakenberg,  C.  J 103 

Drinker,  Edward 103 

Dryden,  John 72 

Dumaresq,  Phillip  ....  5 
Dunham,  John  M 8 

ECLESTON,  MR JO2 

Edwards,  Pierpont      ....  93 

Ellis,  Miss 103 

Ellis,  Mr 103 

Erskine,  William 48 

Erving,  John 6 

Erving,  Nancy .  6 

FEARON,  HENRY  B 107 

Follart,  John 104 

Forbes,  Mr 48 

Forster,  Margaret 103 

Foster,  John 51,  52 

Fox,  C.J.     . 113 

Franklin,  Benjamin     .     .     .     .116 

French,  Josiah n 

French,  Moses n 

Froome,  Mr 103 

GARDINER,  REBECCA  ...  5 
Gardiner,  Sylvester  ....  5 
Gibbon,  Edward  .  .  .96, 97, 98 

Goldsmith,  Oliver 32 

Gore,  Mary    .......  103 

Grant,  Abigail 7 

Grant,  Alexander 7 

Green,  B.,  &  Allen,  J.     .     .     .     17 

Green,  S 20 

Green,  Samuel,  jun.  .  .  .  52,53 
Greenleaf,  Anstiss 4 


PAGE 

Greenleaf,  Stephen      ....      5 
Guthrie,  Mr no 

HALL,  BASIL,  R.N 54 

Hanson,  Elizabeth 95 

Hanson,  John 95 

Hanson,  Rev.  Mr.       .     .    .   93,  94 

Harper,  Miss 47 

Harris,  Benjamin 20 

Hart,  Rev.  Mr 10 

Haven,  Rev.  Dr 39 

Herrenden,  Elisha n 

Hill,  Elisha 9 

Hill,  Jane 9 

Hogg,  Catharine 8 

Holyoke,  E.  A.,  M.D.     .  23,  24,  25, 

26,  27,  28,  29,  30,  31 

Hubbard,  Rev.  William    ...  51 

Huntington.  Rev.  Mr.      ...  7 

ISAIAH  (vii.  20) 126 

JACKMAN,  BETSEY     .    .     .    .  n 

Jackson,  Daniel      .....  10 

Jackson,  Edward 5 

Jackson,  Mary 5 

Jackson,  Rebecca 10 

Jay,  John        82 

Jefferson,  Thomas 112 

Jenkins,  Henry 102 

Jennison,  Dr.  J 5 

Johnson,  Dr.  Samuel  ...    49,  50 

Jones,  John  Coffin       ....  6 

Jones,  Polly 8 

Jones,  Thomas 8 

Josselyn,  John 57 

KEIMER,  MR 116 

Keyser,  Miss 46 

King  Charles  1 83,  84 

Charles  II 32 

George  IV 112 

Henry  VII 81,82 


INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


IX 


King  James  II.  . 
William  III. 


PACE 
»3»  3a 
•  53 


LAINCOURT in 

Lamson,  Eunice 7 

Lawrence,  Mr 102 

Lawrence,  Schuyler     .     .     .     .  10 

Lemon,  Eliza  Peel      ....  12 

Loring,  Caleb 7 

Lovell,  Master 126 

Lushurc,  Elcnor n 

Lyell,  Sir  Charles 55 

MAFEUS 101 

Maiden  Aunt,  The      ....      4 

Mansfield,  Lord 49 

McDonald,  Mary 103 

Mclntire,  Elizabeth     ....    89 
Mclntire,  Samuel    ....   88,  89 

Mclntire,  Samuel  F 89 

McKeen,  Donald 104 

McLane,  Miss 47 

Millot 98 

Milton,  John 38 

Minns,  Chloe 10 

Mirabeau 120 

Montgomery,  Robert  ....  102 

Moore,  I.arkin 12 

Moore,  Thomas 124 

Morse,  Rev.  Jedediah  .     .      68,  no 
Murray,  W 51 


NELSON,  MR. 
Nicholas,  J.  H. 
Noah,  M.  M. 


106 
44 


OGLETHORPE,  GEN 103 

Oliphant,  Rev.  Mr 12 

Osgood,  Aaron 38 

Otway,  John 72 

Oulton,  Mrs 29 

PAINE,  THOMAS 96 

Parker,  Elizabet'i 7 


PAG* 

Parnell,  Paul n 

Parre,  Thomas 102 

Payne,  Mr 105 

Pearson,  Joseph 64 

Pickman,  Benjamin     ....     30 

Pittengill,  Abigail $ 

Plum,  Lewis 12 

Pork,  Robert 8 


QUEEN  ANNE 


.    16 


RANDOLPH,  EDWARD     ...  20 

Reeder,  John 68 

Richards,  Giles 8 

Richter,  J.  P.  F 83 

Rimbault,  E.  F 32 

Robinson,  Miss 8 

Rose,  Aquila '6 

Rousley,  Matthew 10 

Rowe,  Mr 104 

Russell,  Benjamin 97 

Russell,  E 94 

SACK,  SIMON 103 

Sagar,  F.    ' 102 

Scaredevil.  Mary 117 

Scott,  Sir  Walter    .     .     .     .   47, 48 

Sclsbry,  Polly 7 

Sewall,  Samuel 5'»  52 

Seymore,  Bridget 5 

Silsbee,  Miss 46 

Silsbee,  Nathaniel 4° 

Simes,  Mark 39 

Slock,  Mrs 105 

Smallpeace,  Robert     .    .     122,  123 

Smith,  Major 9 

Smith,  Mr 104 

Smith,  Samuel 5 

Spalding,  Hezekiah     ....       5 

Sparks,  Jared 46 

Sprague,  Charles 44 

Stewart,  Duncan 6 

Stiles,  Rev.  Dr. 113 


INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


Stillman,  Rev.  Dr. 
Swift,  Jonathan 
Symonds,  John  .     . 


PAGE 

•  7 
71,  72 
.  119 


TARRING,  WILLIAM  .    .         .12 

Taylor,  Ann 10 

Thatcher,  B.  B 125 

Torrey,  Rev.  Mr 52 

Trollope,  Mrs 56 

Tuck,  Rev.  Mr 53 

Tully,  John 20 

Turner,  John •"  3° 

Turner,  Rev.  R 109 

UPHAM,  REV.  C.  W 12 

WAGNER,  ELIZABETH    ...  12 

Walker,  Thomas 90 

Walter,  John 7 

Wardwell,  Ester 38 


PACK 

Warton,  Eliza 89,  94 

Watkins,  Dr 82 

Webster,  Noah 88 

Welby,  Adlard   .     .      40,  41,  42,  43 

Weld,  Mr in 

Wendell,  Oliver 5 

West,  Benjamin 95 

Whipple,  Plato 13 

Whitman,  Elizabeth    .     .     .    91,  93 

Whitney,  John 5 

Willard,  Joseph 98 

Williams,  Judith 6 

Williams,  Mary 5 

Willis,  N.  P 44,  45 

Winsloe,  Thomas 103 

Woodwrod,  Ebenezer  ....      8 

YATES,  MARY 103 

Young,  William 6 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES. 


"  I  ^HE  following  humorous  lines  well  de- 
scribe the  difficulty  that  editors  find  in 
pleasing  the  public.  They  are  expected  to 
know  everything,  and  to  be  able  to  satisfy  all 
tastes  and  capacities.  No  imperfections  can 
be  excused  in  conductors  of  newspapers ;  they 
are  not  even  allowed  to  be  unfortunate. 

THE   EDITOR. 

That  editor  who  wills  to  please, 
Must  humbly  crawl  upon  his  knees, 

And  kiss  the  hand  that  beats  him  ; 
Or,  if  he  dare  attempt  to  walk, 
Must  toe  the  mark  that  others  chalk, 

And  cringe  to  all  that  meet  him. 
i 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 


Says  one,  Your  subjects  are  too  grave, 
Too  much  morality  you  have, — 

Too  much  about  religion  ; 
Give  me  some  witch  and  wizard  tales 
Of  slip-shod  ghosts  with  fins  and  scales, 

Of  feathers  like  a  pigeon. 

I  love  to  read,  another  cries, 

Those  monstrous,  fashionable  lies,  — 

In  other  words,  those  novels, 
Composed  of  kings  and  queens  and  lords, 
Of  border  wars,  and  gothic  hordes 

That  used  to  live  in  hovels. 

No,  no,  cries  one,  we  've  had  enough 
Of  such  confounded  love-sick  stuff, 

To  craze  the  fair  creation ; 
Give  us  some  recent  foreign  news 
Of  Russians,  Turks,  the  Greeks,  or  Jews, 

Or  any  other  nation. 

The  man  of  dull  scholastic  lore 
Would  like  to  see  a  little  more 

In  scraps  of  Greek  or  Latin  ; 
The  merchants  rather  have  the  price 
Of  southern  indigo  and  rice, 

Of  India  silks,  or  satin. 

Another  cries,  I  want  more  fun, 
A  witty  anecdote  or  pun, 
A  rebus  or  a  riddle  ; 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 


Some  long  for  missionary  news, 
And  some,  of  worldly,  carnal  views, 
Would  rather  hear  a  fiddle. 

The  critic,  too,  of  classic  skill, 
Must  dip  in  gall  his  gander  quill, 

And  scrall  against  the  paper : 
Of  all  the  literary  fools 
Bre,d  in  our  colleges  and  schools, 

He  cuts  the  greatest  caper. 

Another  cries,  I  want  to  see 
A  jumbled-up  variety, 

Variety  in  all  things, — 
A  miscellaneous,  hodge-pod  print, 
Composed  (I  only  give  the  hint) 

Of  multifarious  small  things. 

I  want  some  marriage  news,  says  miss : 
It  constitutes  my  highest  bliss 

To  hear  of  weddings  plenty  ; 
For  in  a  time  of  general  rain 
None  suffer  from  a  drought,  'tis  plain,- 

At  least,  not  one  in  twenty. 

I  want  to  hear  of  deaths,  says  one, 
Of  people  totally  undone 

By  losses,  fire,  or  fever : 
Another  answers  full  as  wise, 
I  'd  rather  have  a  fall  and  rise 

Of  raccoon  skins  and  beaver. 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES. 


Some  signify  a  secret  wish 

For  now  and  then  a  favorite  dish 

Of  politics  to  suit  them. 
But  here  we  rest  at  perfect  ease, 
For  should  they  swear  the  moon  was  cheese, 

We  never  should  dispute  them. 

Or  grave  or  humorous,  wild  or  tame, 
Lofty  or  low,  'tis  all  the  same, 

Too  haughty  or  too  humble ; 
And  every  editorial  wight 
Has  nought  to  do  but  what  is  right, 

And  let  the  grumblers  grumble. 

From  a  Salem  paper  of  1828 ;  author  not  stated. 


"  All  are  needed  by  each  one, 
Nothing  is  fair  and  good  alone." 

EMERSON. 

In  "old  times  "  almost  all  the  young  ladies 
upon  their  marriage  were  "amiable"  and 
"  agreeable  "  ;  at  least  they  are  so  represented 
in  most  of  the  announcements.  The  "  maiden 
aunt"  could  not  speak  plainer  in  writing  for 
the  "  Boston  Sunday  Gazette."  We  copy 
some  specimens  from  Boston  and  Salem  papers. 

On  Thurfday  laft,  in  the  Forenoon,  was  married 
Mr.  BENJAMIN  DAVIS  of  this  Town,  Merchant,  to 
Mrs.  ANSTESS  GREENLEAF,  fecond  Daughter  of 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 


STEPHEN  GREENLEAF  Efq ;  High  Sheriff  of  the 
County  of  Suffolk. 

The  fame   Evening    Mr.   OLIVER   WENDELL,  of 
this   Town,    Merchant,   was  alfo   Married    to   Mrs. 
MARY  JACKSON,  only  Daughter  of  the  late  Mr.  ED- 
WARD JACKSON;  both  young  Ladies  of  great  Merit. 
Sept.  13,  1762. 

On  Thurfday  Evening  laft  Mr.  Phillip  Dumarefq, 
Merchant,  was  Married  to  Mrs.  Rebecca  Gardiner, 
third  Daughter  of  Syfaejler  Gardiner,  Efq  ;  of  this 
Town,  an  agreeable  young  Lady. 

Dec.  19,  1763. 

MARRIED]— Mr.    SAMUEL    SMITH,    to    Mrs. 

ABIGAIL  PITTENGILL,  an    agreeable   young   widow. 

Dec.  22,  1790. 

Thurfday  evening  laft,  JOHN  WHITNEY,  Efq.  mer- 
chant, of  the  ftate  of  Georgia,  to  the  amiable  Mrs. 
BRIDGET  SEYMORE,  of  Wefport. 

June  2,  1792. 


— At  Plainfield,  Mr.  Hezekiah  Spalding,  a  batchelor 
of  large  fortune,  aged  68,  to  the  amiable  Mifs  Mary 
Williams,  aged  22  ! 

179°- 

MARRIED]— At  Cambridge,  Dr.  J.  JENNISON,  to 
the  amiable  Mifs  BELCHER,  daughter  of  his  late  Ex- 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 


cellency  Governour  Belcher,  of  Nova  Scotia,  and 
grand  daughter  of  his  Excellency  Jonathan  Belcher, 
Efq.  deceafed,  formerly  Governour  of  the  then  pro- 
vinces jof  Maflachufetts  Bay  and  New-Hampfhire. 

Aug.  31,  1790. 

—At  Newbury-Port,  Mr.  WILLIAM  YOUNG, 
of  Bofton,  to  the  amiable  Mifs  JUDITH  WIL- 
LIAMS, of  that  town. 

June  7,  1788. 

NEWPORT,  Nov.  24. 

The  i6th  Inftant,  Mr.  WILLIAM  CHECKLEY,  Son 

of  the  Rev.  Mr.  SAMUEL  CHECKLEY  of  Bofton,  was 

married  to  Mifs  POLLY  CRANSTON,  a  young  Lady  of 

genteel  Acquirements,  and  of  a  moft  amiable  Difpofi- 

tion. 

Dec.  19,  1766. 

BOSTON,  January  12  [1767]. 
Laft  Thurfday  Evening  DUNCAN  STEWART,  Efq; 
Collector  of  His  Majefty's  Cuftoms  for  the  Port  of 
New-Londdn,  was  married  to  Mifs  NANCY  ERVING, 
youngeft  Daughter  of  the  Hon.  JOHN  ERVING,  Efq; 
of  this  Town;  a  moft  amiable  and  agreeable  young 
Lady. 

Thurfday  laft  was  married,  at  Newport,  JOHN 
COFFIN  JONES,  Efq.  of  Bofton,  merchant,  to  the 
truly  amiable  and  accompliftied  Mifs  ABIGAIL 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 


GRANT,  daughter  of  the  late  ALEXANDER  GRANT, 
Efq.  a  Lady  of  real  merit,  and  highly  qualified  to 
render  the  connubial  Ihitc  defirable  and  fupremely 

happy. 

_  May  22,  1  786. 

—By  the  Rev.  Dr.  STILLMAN,  Mr.  CALEB  LORING, 
diftiller,  to  the  agreeable  Mifs  POLLY  SELSBRY. 

May  25,  1792. 

MARRIED]—  At  Billerica,  Mr.  JAMES  BREED, 
to  the  amiable  Mifs  ELIZABETH  PARKER.  -  At 
Newtown,  Mr.  JOHN  WALTER,  A.  B.,  to  the  agree- 

able Mifs  POLLY  BULLARD. 

March  24,  1792. 


At  Topsfield,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Huntington,  Mr. 
JOSEPH  AVERELL,  to  the  accompliflied  Mifs  EUNICE 
LAMSON. 

Salem  Register,  1801. 

Editors  were  formerly  very  fond  of  curious 
matter  for  their  lists  of  marriages  and  deaths. 
In  the  "Massachusetts  Centinel  "  for  1789 
the  marriage  of  Pork  and  Hogg  has  a  doubt- 
ful look,  although  it  used  to  be  supposed  that 
everything  in  the  paper  was  true. 


8  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

MARRIED]— Lately  in  Delaware,Mr.ROBERT 
PORK,  merchant,  to  Mifs  CATHARINE  HOGG. 

At  Pepperell,  Mr.  GILES  RICHARDS,  of  this 

town,  to  the  amiable  Mifs  SALLY  ADAMS,  young- 
eft  daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  Mr.  ADAMS,  of  Rox- 

bury. At  Hull,  Mr.  SPENCER  BINNEY,  to 

Mifs  POLLY  JONES,  daughter  of  Mr.  THOMAS 
JONES,  of  that  place. 

A  Boston  paper  of  1795  prints  the  follow- 
ing:— 

MARRIAGES. 

At  Concord,  Ebenezer  Woodwrod,  A.  B.,  Citizen 
Bachelor,  of  Hanover,  N.  H.,  to  the  amiable  Mifs 

Robinfon.     At   Longmeadow,   Mr.  John  M. 

Dunham,  Citizen  Bachelor  and  Printer,  as  aforefaid, 
to  the  amiable  Mifs  EMILY  BURT. 

The  promptnefs  and  decifion  which  the  faid  Citi- 
zens have  (hown 

"  In  all  the  fond  intrigues  of  Love," 
is  highly  worthy  of  imitation  ;  and  the  fuccefs  that 
has  fo  richly  crowned  their  courage  and  enterprize, 
muft  be  an  invincible  inducement  to  the  fading  pha- 
lanx of  our  remaining  Bachelors,  to  make  a  vigorous 
attack  on  fome  fortrefs  of  female  beauty,  with  a  de- 
termined refolution, 

"  Ne'er  to  quit  the  glorious  ftrife," 

'Till,  dreft  in  all  her  charms,  fome  blooming  fair 
Herfelf  fhall  yield,  the  prize  of  conquering  love  ! 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 


In  the  "Salem  Mercury,"  June  17,  1788, 
we  find  the  following  announcement,  which 
reminds  us  of  "  Solomon  Grundy,  who  died 
on  Monday. ' 

DIED — At  Rehoboth,  Mr.  HENRY  BOWEN.  He 
went  to  a  wedding,  well,  on  Thurfday,  taken  fick  on 
Friday,  died  on  Saturday,  buried  on  Sunday. 


"Virtuous  and  amiable"  were  terms  used 

frequently  in  the  lists  of  deaths. 

«. 

At    Portfmouth,  Mrs.  Jane  Hill,  the   virtuous 

and  amiable  Confort  of  Mr.  Elifha  Hill.        [1790] 


The  following  is  a  list  of  marriages  and 
deaths  at  various  dates,  taken  from  Boston 
and  Salem  papers  :  — 

"Salem  Gazette,"  July  19,  1811. 

MARRIAGES. 

In  Williamsborough  (N.  C.),  Major  SMITH,  of 
Prince  Edwards  (Va.),  to  Miss  CHARLOTTE  B. 
BRODIE. — This  match,  consummated  only  a  few  days 
since,  was  agreed  upon  thirty-one  years  ago  at  Cam- 
den  (S.  C.),  when  he  was  captured  at  the  battle  of 
Camden  ;  and  being  separated  by  the  war,  &c.,  each 


IO  LITERARY   CURIOSITIES. 

had  supposed  the  other  dead,  until  a  few  months 
since,  when  they  accidentally  met,  and  neither  plead 
any  statute  of  limitation  in  bar  of  the  old  bargain. 


"Salem  Mercury,"  Oct.  21,  1788. 

MARRIED — In  England,  Mr.  Matthew  Roufby, 
aged  21,  to  Mrs.  Ann  Taylor,  aged  89.  The  lady's 
grandfon  was  at  this  equal  union,  and  was  5  years 
older  than  his  grandfather. 


"Salem  Gazette,"  1817. 
MARRIED, 

In  this  town,  Mr.  Schuyler  Lawrence,  to  Mrs. 
Chloe  Minns,  Miftrefs  of  the  African  School  in 
Salem,  and  who  has  deferved  well  of  the  town  and 
of  the  African  race. 


"  Salem  Register." 

MONDAY,  DECEMBER  3,  1827. 
MARRIED 

At  New- York,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Hart,  M.  M.  NOAH, 
senior  editor  of  the  Enquirer,  to  Miss  Rebecca,  only 
daughter  of  Mr.  Daniel  Jackson,  of  that  city.  The 
junior  editor  of  the  Enquirer  was  on  the  same  day 
killed  in  a  duel.  An  old  Bachelor  at  our  elbow 
thinks  the  fate  of  the  surviving  editor  most  deserving 
of  commiseration  ! 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  II 

"Salem  Gazette,"  1811. 

DEATHS 

A  short  time  ago,  at  the  romantic  village  of 
Laughton-en-le-Morthen,  in  Yorkshire,  England, 
Farmer  PAUL  PARNELL,  late  of  the  Ewes  Farm 
House,  age  76  years,  who  during  his  life,  drank 
out  of  one  silver  pint  cup  with  two  handles,  upwards 
of  2000!.  sterling  worth  of  nut-brown  Yorkshire 
stingo  (good  old  ale),  being  much  attached  to  stingo 
tipple,  of  the  best  double  stout,  home-brewed  quality. 
N.  B.  This  calculation  took  at  id.  each  cupfull. 


"Essex  Register,"  Feb.  5,  1824. 

MARRIAGES. 

In  Solon,  by  Rev.  Moses  French,  Josiah  French, 
Esq.,  aged  48,  to  Miss  Betsey  Jackman,  aged  40, 
being  his  fifth  wife. 


"Salem  Gazette,'1  Oct.  17,  1825. 

At  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Capt.  Samuel  Currier  to  Miss 
Sally  Clough — bis  sixth  wife  ! 


"  Independent  Chronicle,"  Nov.  23,  1797. 

At  Gloucefter  (R.  I.),  Mr.  ELISHA  HERRENDEN, 
JEt.  83,  to  Mrs.  ELENOR  LUSHURE,  JEt.  88,  being 
his  eighth  wife ! 


12  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

"  Salem  Gazette,"  1829. 

By  Rev   Mr   Upham,    Mr   Lewis    Plum,   of  Ne- 
wark, N.J.,  to  Miss  Eliza  P.  Lemon,  of  this  town. 


"Essex  Register,"  Dec.,  1820. 

At  Beverly,  on  Wednesday  evening  last,  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Oliphant,  Mr.  Larkin  Moore,  travelling 
preacher,  physician,  poet,  trader,  &c.,  to  Mrs.  Nancy 
Cook. 

"  Salem  Gazette,"  1790. 

Died~\ At  Horfeley,  in  Derbyfhire,  England,  a 

venerable  matron,  named  Frances  Burton,  aged  107. 
She  had  pra6lifed  midwifery  upwards  of  80  years. 
The  hufband  of  the  above  old  lady  was  fexton  of  the 
parim  church  70  years ;  and  this  ancient  pair  fre- 
quently boafted,  that  me  had  brought  into  the  world., 
and  he  had  buried,  the  parifh  twice  over ! 


1807. 
DIED 

Near  Gloucefter,  Virg.,  Elizabeth  Wagner,  aged 
107.  She  never  took  medicine  of  any  kind  in  her 
life.  

From  "Salem  Gazette,"  1811.  Appropriate  name  for  a 
rope-maker. 

Mr.  WILLIAM  TARRING,  rope-maker,  38. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  13 


"  Massachusetts  Mercury,"  Dec.  27,  1799. 


At  Hamilton,  Effex  County,  PLATO  WHIPPLE,  aged 
103,  one  of  God's  images  in  ebony. 


"Salem  Gazette,"  1811. 

Mr.  JACK  DALAND,  a  very  worthy  black  man, 
aged  65.  He  was  brought  from  Africa  to  the  West 
Indies  at  about  n  years  of  age;  but  instead  of  being 
eaten,  as  he  expected,  by  the  white  men,  he  was 
transferred  by  purchase  to  a  happy  asylum  in  this 
place,  where  he  has  spent  upwards  of  50  years  of  his 
life,  respected  by  the  whole  town,  as  a  faithful,  in- 
dustrious, pleasant-tempered,  intelligent  man.  His 
honest  industry  was  rewarded  by  the  acquisition  of  a 
comfortable  property,  which  he  has  left  for  the  enjoy- 
ment of  his  family.  The  long  train  of  white  people 
who  followed  his  remains  to  the  grave,  testify  to  the 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held. 


The  following  is  a  notice  of  a  "distin- 
guished merchant  "  and  "  literary  "  character 
of  Newburyport,  Mass.  In  the  appendix  to 
"Lord"  Dexter's  great  production  —  where 
all  the  stops  are  placed  together  on  the  last 


14  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

page,   so  that  "  people  can    salt   and    pepper 
as  they  please  "  —  we  find  these  lines  : 

"  All  men  inquire,  but  few  can  tell 
How  thou  in  Science  doth  excel ! " 

TIMOTHY  DEXTER.  The  subject  of  the  present 
sketch,  according  to  his  own  account,  was  born  in 
Maiden,  Massachusetts.  "  I  was  born,"  says  he  (in 
his  celebrated  work,  "  A  Pickle  for  the  knowing 
ones"),  "  1747,  Jan.  22  ;  on  this  day  in  the  morning, 
a  great  snow  storm  in  the  signs  of  the  seventh  house; 
whilst  Mars  came  forward  Jupiter  stood  by  to  hold 
the  candle.  I  was  to  be  a  great  man." 

Lord  Dexter,  after  having  served  an  apprenticeship 
to  a  Leather  dresser,  commenced  business  in  New- 
buryport,  where  he  married  a  widow  who  owned  a 
house  and  a  small  piece  of  land,  part  of  which,  soon 
after  the  nuptials,  were  converted  into  a  shop  and 
tanyard.  . 

By  application  to  his  business  his  property  increased, 
and  the  purchase  of  a  large  tract  of  land  near  Penob- 
scot,  together  with  an  interest  which  he  bought  in  the 
Ohio  Company's  purchase,  afforded  him  so  much 
profit,  as  to  induce  him  to  buy  up  Publick  Securities 
at  forty  cents  on  the  pound,  which  securities  soon 
after  became  worth  twenty  shillings  on  the  pound. 

His  Lordship  at  one  time  shipped  a  large  quantity  of 
warming  pans  to  the  West  Indies,  where  they  were  sold 
at  a  great  advance  on  prime  cost,  and  used  for  molasses 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  15 

ladles.  At  another  time,  he  purchased  a  large  quantity 
of  whalebone  for  ship's  stays ;  the  article  rose  in  value 
upon  his  hands,  and  he  sold  it  to  great  advantage. 

Property  now  was  no  longer  the  object  of  his  pur- 
suit ;  but  popularity  became  the  god  of  his  idolatry. 
He  was  charitable  to  the  poor,  gave  large  donations 
to  religious  societies,  and  rewarded  those  who  wrote 
in  his  praise. 

His  lordship  about  this  time  acquired  his  peculiar 
taste  for  style  and  splendour ;  and  to  enhance  his 
own  importance  in  the  world,  set  up  an  elegant  equi- 
page, and  at  great  cost  adorned  the  front  of  his  house 
with  numerous  figures  of  illustrious  personages. 

By  his  order,  a  tomb  was  dug  under  the  summer 
house  in  his  garden,  during  his  life  ;  which  he  men- 
tions in  l  A  Pickle  for  the  knowing  ones,'  in  the  fol- 
lowing ludicrous  style :  — 

14  Heare  will  lie  in  box  the  first  Lord  in  Americake 
the  first  Lord  Dexter  made  by  the  voice  of  hampsher 
state  my  brave  fellows  Affirmed  it  they  give  me  the 
titel  and  so  Let  it  goue  for  as  much  as  it  will  fetch  it 
wonte  give  me  Any  breade  but  take  from  me  the 
Contrary  fourder  I  have  a  grand  toume  in  my  gard- 
ing  at  one  of  the  grasses  and  the  tempel  of  Reason 
over  the  toume  nand  my  coffen  made  and  all  Ready 
I  emy  house  painted  with  white  Lead  an  side  and 
outside  touched  with  green  and  bras  trimmings  Eight 
handels  and  a  good  Lock,  I  have  had  one  mock 
founrel  it  was  so  solmon  and  there  was  so  much 
Criing  about  3000  spectators  I  say  my  house  is  Euqal 


1 6  LITERARY   CURIOSITIES. 

to  any  mansion  house  in  twelve  hundred  miles  and 
now  for  sale  for  seven  hundred  pounds  weight  of 
Dollars  by  me 

TIMOTHY   DEXTER." 

Lord  Dexter  believed  in  transmigration  sometimes ; 
at  others  he  was  a  deist.  He  died  on  the  22d  day  of 
Oct.  1806,  in  the  6oth  year  of  his  age. 

Salem  Observer,  Dec.  17,  1825. 

From  what  we  have  heard  and  read  of  Mr. 
Dexter,  it  is  a  matter  of  surprise  to  us  how 
such  eccentricities  could  have  attracted  the 
attention  they  evidently  did.  It  is  doubtful 
if  so  much  folly  and  conceit  could  now  interest 
many  people  for  any  length  of  time. 


Curious  old  almanacs. 

AN  OLD  ALMANACK.  A  friend  has  handed  us  an 
almanack  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  old,  which  is 
quite  a  curiosity  in  its  line.  The  following  is  the  title  : 

"The  New-England  Almanack  for  the  Year  of 
our  Lord  MDCCIII.  Being  Third  after  Leap-year, 
and  from  the  Creation,  5652.  Discovery  of  Amer- 
ica by  Columbus,  21 1.  Reign  of  our  Gracious 
Queen  Anne,  (which  began  March  8,  1702,)  the  2 
year.  Wherein  is  contained,  Things  necessary,  and 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  17 

common  in  such  a  Composure.  As  the  Quarters  of 
the  Moon,  Aspects  of  the  Planets  and  Weather  set 
down  Exactly  according  to  the  Aspects,  Courts, 
Spring  Tides,  Rising  and  Setting  of  the  Sun,  Sun  and 
Moons  place,  time  of  Full  Sea  at  Boston,  the  Eclip- 
ses, High  Ways,  &c.,  with  several  other  Curiosities. 
Calculated  for  the  Meridian  of  Boston,  the  Metropo- 
lis of  New-England,  Lat.  42,  24,  but  may  serve  any 
part  of  the  Country,  (even  as  far  as  New- York,) 
without  sensible  Error.  By  Samuel  Clough. 

The  Heavens  to  us,  God's  Glory  do  make  known, 
By  th'  Firmament,  his  handy  work  is  shown. 

Licensed  by  His  Excellency  the  Governour. 
Boston  :  Printed  by  B.  Green  and  J.  Allen,  for  the 
Booksellers,  and  are  to  be  Sold  at  their  Shops.  1703." 
Then  follows  a  short  address  "  To  the  Readers  " 
of  the  Almanack.  The  figure  of  "  Man's  Body  " 
with  the  "Twelve  Signs  of  the  Zodiack,"  is  headed 
with  the  following  lines  : 

The  Anotomy  must  still  be  in, 

Else  th'  Almanack's  not  worth  a  pin  : 

For  Country-men  regard  the  Sign 

As  though  'Twere  Oracle  Divine. 

But  do  not  mind  that  altogether, 

Have  some  respect  to  Wind  and  Weather. 

The  months  of  the  year  are  introduced  as  follows  : 

"January. 

Cold  Weather  now  'gins  to  be  fierce, 
And  Norwest  Winds  our  bodys  pierce. 


1  8  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

February. 

The  Weather  still  continues  cold, 
Therefore  warm  cloaths  are  good  we  hold. 

March. 

'T  is  the  best  Month  of  all  the  year, 
Wherein  to  brew  good  napping  Beer. 

April 

Now  Leaves  on  Trees  begin  to  spring, 
And  Birds  on  Hedges  sit  and  sing. 

May. 

To  walk  Five  Miles  in  his  own  Farm, 
Will  do  a  Husbandman  no  harm. 

June. 

Now  Countrymen  each  Sun  shine  day, 
Mow  down  their  Grass,  and  make  it  hay. 


If  Mildew  now  blasts  English  Grain, 
'Twill  make  poor  Husbandmen  complain. 

August. 

But  if  from  Blasting  it  be  free, 
The  Farmers  then  should  thankful  be. 

September. 

The  Leaves  from  Trees  now  fall  away, 
And  sweetest  Flowers  do  decay. 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  1 9 

October. 

If  Barns  are  full,  though  Fields  be  empty, 
It  duth  prognosticate  a  plenty. 

November. 

One  day  this  Month  each  Fruitful  year, 
Give  thanks  to  GOD,  and  Eat  good  chear. 

December. 

The  Weather  now  'gins  to  be  cold, 
Which  makes  to  shrink  both  young  and  old. 


S ATURD AY,  DEC'R  24,  1853. 

Cfje  is>alem  ©bsettoer. 


ANOTHER  OLD  ALMANACK.  In  our  last  we  gave 
an  account  of  an  old  Almanack  for  the  year  1703. 
Since  then  we  have  seen  another  some  sixteen  years 
older,  printed  for  the  year  1687.  It  was  bound  in 
with  an  old  account  book  that  formerly  belonged  to 
the  Rev.  Thomas  Barnard,  a  minister  of  Andover, 
'from  1682  to  1718, — the  great-grandfather  of  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Barnard,  D.  D.,  the  first  minister  of 
the  North  Church  in  this  city,  who  died  Oct.  I, 
1814,  in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his  age,  also  an 
ancestor  of  Capt.  Edward  Barnard,  of  this  city.  We 


2O  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

insert  the  title  page  and  other  extracts  therefrom, 
which  we  trust  will  impart  the  same  interest  to  our 
readers  as  we  derived  from  its  perusal. 

It  is  prefaced  by  the  following  : 

Novemb.  24th,  1686.  I  have  Perused  the  Copy 
of  an  Almanack  for  the  Ensuing  Year,  Composed  by 
John  Tulley,  and  find  nothing  in  it  contrary  to  His 
Majesties  Laws,  and  therefore  Allow  it  to  be  Printed, 
and  Published  by  Benjamin  Harris,  Book-Seller  in 
Boston. 

EDWARD  RANDOLPH,  Seer. 

The  following  is  the  title  : 

.Tully  1687.  An  Almanack  for  the  Year  of  Our 
Lord  MDCLXXXVII.  Being  the  third  after  Leap- 
year,  and  from  the  Creation  5636.  The  Vulgar 
Notes  of  which  are  Prime  16  —  Epact  26 — Circle  of 
the  (§|  16 — Domin  :  Letter  B.  Unto  which  is  an- 
nexed a  Weather  Glass,  whereby  the  Change  of  the 
Weather  may  be  foreseen.  Calculated  for  and  fitted 
to  the  Meridian  of  Boston  in  New-England,  where 
the  North  Pole  is  elevated  42  gr.  30  m.  By  John 
Tulley.  Boston,  Printed  by  S.  Green  for  Benjamin 
Harris ;  and  are  to  be  Sold  at  his  Shop,  by  the  Town 
Pump  near  the  Change.  1687. 

Then  follows  "  A  Table  of  Kings,"  from  William  the  Con- 
queror, 1066,  to  James  2d,  1685,  closing  with  the  lines — 

Now  may  we  look  on  Monarchy  and  sing, 

In  health  and  peace  long  live  great  JAMES  our  King. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  21 

And  concluding  with  the  "Weather  Glass,"  &c.,  &c.,  which 
follow  : 

Prognostica  Georgica :  Or  the  Country-man's  Weather- 
Glass. 

Prognosticks  of  Tempests.  The  obscuring  of  the 
smaller  stars  is  a  certain  sign  of  Tempests  approach- 
ing, the  oft  changing  of  the  Winds  is  always  a  fore- 
runner of  a  storm. 

Of  Winds.  The  resounding  of  the  Sea  upon  the 
shore,  and  murmuring  of  the  Winds  in  the  Woods 
without  apparent  Wind,  shew  wind  to  follow  ;  shoot- 
ing of  stars  (as  they  call  it)  is  an  usual  sign  of  wind 
from  that  quarter  the  star  came  from,  Redness  of  the 
Skie  in  the  morning  is  a  token  of  Winds,  or  Rain,  or 
both  :  if  the  circles  that  appear  about  the  Sun,  be  red 
and  broken,  they  portend  wind  :  if  thick  and  dark, 
Winds,  Snow,  or  Rain  :  The  like  may  be  said  of  the 
Circles  about  the  Moon. 

Of  Rain.  If  two  Rainbows  appear,  they  are  a 
sign  of  Rain  :  If  the  Sun  or  Moon  look  pale,  look 
for  Rain  :  if  a  dark  Cloud  be  at  Sun-rising,  in  which 
the  Sun  soon  after  is  hid,  it  will  dissolve  it,  and  Rain 
will  follow :  if  the  Sun  seem  greater  in  the  East  than 
commonly,  it  is  a  sign  of  Rain,  if  in  the  West  about 
Sun-setting  there  appear  a  black  Cloud,  you  may  ex- 
pect Rain  that  night,  or  the  day  following,  if  in  the 
winter  time  thick  white  Clouds  appear  in  the  South- 
east near  the  Horizon  at  Sun  rising,  they  portend 
Snow,  a  day  or  two  after :  If  black  Clouds  appear 
there,  it  is  a  sign  of  Rain. 


22  LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  ' 

Of  Fair  Weather.  If  the  Moon  look  bright  and 
fair,  look  for  Fair  Weather.  Also  the  appearing  of 
one  Rainbow  after  a  storm,  is  a  known  sign  of  Fair 
Weather.  If  Mists  come  down  from  the  Hills,  or 
descend  from  the  heavens,  and  settle  in  the  valleys, 
they  promise  fair  hot  weather :  Mists  in  the  Evening 
shew  a  fair,  hot  day  on  the  morrow  :  The  like  when 
mists  rise  from  the  waters  in  the  evening.  Much 
more  might  be  added,  but  I  would  not  tire  the  reader. 

It  appears  by  the  following  that  the  first  form  of  govern- 
ment, under  the  King,  was  accepted  by  the  people  in  1686. 

May  14,  1686.  Arrived  from  England,  His  Maj- 
esty's Commission  to  divers  worthy  Gentlemen,  to 
be  a  President  and  Council  for  the  management  of 
his  Majesty's  Government  here,  and  accordingly  on 
the  25th  of  May,  '86,  the  President  and  Council  be- 
ing assembled  in  Boston,  the' exemplification  of  the 
Judgment  against  the  Charter  of  the  Late  Governour 
and  Company  of  the  Massachusetts-Bay  in  N  E 
together  with  His  Majesty's  Commission  of  Govern- 
ment were  publickly  read,  and  received  by  persons  of 
all  conditions  with  general  Acceptance. 

It  will  appear  by  the  following  advertisement  that  a  mar- 
ket was  then  first  appointed  by  authority  to  be  kept  in  Bos- 
ton. 

Advertisement.  There  is  Appointed  by  Authority 
a  Market  to  be  kept  in  Boston,  and  a  Committee  is 
ordered  to  meet  and  state  the  place,  and  days,  and 
other  circumstances  relating  to  the  good  settling  there- 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  23 

of:    Of  which  a  more  particular  Account   may  be 
speedily  expected. 

This  Almanack  was  published  only  67  years  from 
the  settlement  at  Plymouth,  and  59  from  that  of 
Salem. 

In  the  eyes  of  the  old  New  England  people 
the  almanac  stood  next  to  the  Bible  in  impor- 
tance. Almost  the  only  knowledge  we  have  of 
many  events  of  those  early  days  has  been  ob- 
tained from  diaries  kept  in  interleaved  alma- 
nacs. It  is  true,  important  facts  are  often 
found  recorded  in  connection  with  trifling  or 
quite  unimportant  matters. 


The  venerable  Dr.  Holyoke,  of  Salem, 
president  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  So- 
ciety, who  died  in  March,  1829,  at  the  age 
of  one  hundred  years  and  eight  months,  wrote 
a  letter,  a  few  months  before  his  death,  in 
answer  to  a  request  that  he  would  furnish 
some  particulars  of  his  mode  of  living.  Dr. 
Holyoke  was  through  life  noted  for  being 
remarkably  temperate  in  all  things.  After  his 
death  it  was  reported  that  some  physician  said 


24  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

(perhaps  in  fun)  that  if  Dr.  H.  had  not  been 
in  the  habit  of  using  intoxicating  liquors  he 
might  have  lived  to  a  good  old  age. 

We  give  here   a   copy   of  this    interesting 
letter. 


SATURDAY   MORNING,  AUGUST  i,  1829. 

DR.  HOLYOKE.  The  Medical  Society  of  this 
District  have  rendered  an  appropriate  tribute  of 
respect  for  the  memory  of  their  venerated  asso- 
ciate, the  late  Dr.  E.  A.  HOLYOKE,  by  publishing 
an  elegant  little  volume,  containing  a  memoir  of 
the  deceased,  prepared  by  a  Committee  of  the  So- 
ciety, and  a  few  of  his  writings.  .  We  have  selected 
from  the  latter  the  following  articles,  which  will 
interest  the  reader.  The  first  is  an  account  of  Dr. 
Holyoke's  habits  of  life,  diet,  &c.,  furnished  by  him 
in  a  letter  to  one  of  his  friends  ;  the  others  are  a 
historical  memorandum  and  a  fragment  of  the  Doc- 
tor's poetical  effusions. 

To   WilUamsvilk^    Person    County, 

North  Carolina. 

SALEM,  Oct'r  --  1828. 

SIR, — I  received  yours  of  the  2Oth  ult.  on  ye  3Oth, 
wherein  you  wish  me  to  give  you  some  Account  of 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  25 

my  Mode  of  Life,  &c. — In  answer  to  which  I  would 
first  mention  that  I  was  providentially  blessed  with 
an  excellent  Constitution — that  I  never  injured  this 
constitution  by  Intemperance  of  any  kind — but  invig- 
orated it  by  constant  Exercise,  having  from  my  3Oth 
to  my  Both  Year  walked  on  foot  (in  the  Practice  of 
my  Profession) — probably  as  many  as  5  or  6  miles 
every  day,  amounting  to  more  than  a  million*  of  miles, 
and  tho'  sometimes  much  fatigued,  the  next  Night's 
refreshing  Sleep,  always  completely  restored  me.  In 
early  life,  between  20  and  30,  I  used  to  ride  on 
Horse  back,  but  being  often  pestered  by  my  Horses 
slipping  their  Bridles  I  found  it  more  convenient  to 
walk. 

As  to  my  Diet,  having  been  taught  to  eat  of  any 
thing  that  was  provided  for  me,  and  having  always  a 
good  Appetite,  I  am  never  anxious  about  my  food, 
and  I  do  not  recollect  any  thing,  that  is  commonly 


*  This  seems  to  have  been  a  slip  of  the  pen ;  the 
following  is  his  own  calculation,  made  in  1823,  and 
which  from  his  great  degree  of  exaggeration  falls 
short  of  half  the  actual  amount.  "  If  from  my  age 
of  20  to  80  years  I  have  walked  5  miles  a  day,  which 
is  a  moderate  calculation,  I  must  have  gone  in  that 
60  years, 

109,500  miles. 
And  in  the  first  20  &  last  I5*years,         38,325 


In  95  years  probably,  Total,  147,825 


26  LITERARY   CURIOSITIES. 

eaten,  that  does  not  agree  with  my  Stomach,  except 
fresh  roasted  Pork,  which  tho'  very  agreeable  to  my 
Palate,  almost  always  disagrees  with  me  ;  for  which 
however  I  have  a  remedy,  in  the  Spirit  of  Sal  Amo- 
niac.     Eight  or  Ten  drops  of  Aqua  Ammonia  pura 
in  a  wine  glass  of  Water,  gives  me  relief  after  Pork, 
and   indeed   after   anything    else    which    offends    my 
stomach.     As  to  the  Quantity,  I  am  no  great  Eater, 
and  I  find  my  appetite  sooner  satisfied  now  than  for- 
merly ; — there  is  one  peculiarity  in  my  Diet  which 
as  it  may  perhaps  have  contributed  to  Health  I  would 
mention  j  I  am  fond  of  Fruit,  and  have  this  30  or 
more  years  daily  indulged   in  eating  freely  of  those 
of  the   Season,   as   Strawberries,   Currants,  Peaches, 
Plums,  Apples,  &c.,  which  in  summer  and  winter  I 
eat  just  before  Dinner,  and  seldom  at  any  other  time, 
and  indeed  very  seldom  eat  any  thing  whatever  be- 
tween   meals. — My    Breakfast    I    vary    continually. 
Coffee,    Tea,    Chocolate,    with    toasted    bread    and 
butter,  Milk  with  Bread  toasted  in  hot  weather,  but 
never  any  meat  in  my  Life — seldom  the  same  Break- 
fast more  than  2  or  3  days  running.     Bread  of  Flour 
makes  a  large  portion  of  my  Food,  perhaps  near  1-2. 
After  Dinner  I  most  commonly  drink  one  glass  of 
Wine — plain   boiled  •  rice    I    am    fond    of — it    makes 
nearly  1-2  of  my  Dinner  perhaps  as  often  as -every 
other  Day — I  rarely  eat  Pickles  or  any  high  seasoned 
Food — Vegetable  food  of  one  kind  or  other  makes 
commonly  2-3  or  3-4  of  my  nourishment — the  con- 
diments I  use  are  chiefly  Mustard,  Horse  radish  and 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES. 


Onions.  As  to  Drinks,  I  seldom  take  any  but  at 
meal  times  and  with  my  Pipe  —  in  younger  Life  my 
most  common  draft  was  Cider,  seldom  Wine,  seldom 
or  never  Beer  or  Ale  or  distilled  Spirits  —  But  for  the 
last  40  or  50  years,  my  most  usual  drink  has  been  a 
Mixture,  a  little  singular  indeed,  but  as  for  me  it  is 
still  palateable  and  agreeable,  I  still  prefer  it  —  The 
Mixture  is  this,  viz.  Good  West  India  Rum  2 
Spoonfuls,  Good  Cider  whether  new  or  old  3  Spoon- 
fuls, of  Water  9  or  10  Spoonfuls  —  of  this  Mixture 
(which  I  suppose  to  be  about  the  strength  of  common 
Cider)  I  drink  about  1-2  a  Pint  with  my  Dinner  and 
about  the  same  Quantity  with  my  Pipe  after  Dinner 
and  my  Pipe  in  the  Evening,  never  exceeding  a  Pint 
the  whole  Day  ;  and  I  desire  nothing  else  except  one 
glass  of  Wine  immediately  after  Dinner  the  whole 
day.  I  generally  take  one  Pipe  after  Dinner  and 
another  in  the  Evening,  and  hold  a  small  piece  of 
pigtail  Tobacco  in  my  mouth  from  Breakfast  till 
near  Dinner,  and  again  in  the  Afternoon  till  tea  ; 
this  has  been  my  practice  for  80  years  —  I  use  no 
Snuff  —  I  drink  tea  about  sunset  and  eat  with  it  a 
small  slice  of  Bread  toasted  with  Butter  —  I  never 
eat  any  thing  more  till  Breakfast. 

I  have  not  often  had  any  complaint  from  indiges- 
tion, but  when  I  have,  abstinence  from  Breakfast  or 
Dinner,  or  both,  has  usually  removed  it  ;  indeed  I 
have  several  times  thrown  off  serious  Complaints  by 
Abstinence.  —  As  to  Clothing,  it  is  what  my  Friends 
call  thin  ;  I  never  wear  Flannel  next  my  Skin  tho' 


28  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

often  advised  to  it,  and  am  less  liable  to  take  cold,  as 
it  is  called,  than  most  people — a  good  warm  double 
breasted  Waist-Coat  and  a  Cloth  coat  answers  me 
for  winter,  and  as  the  season  grows  warmer  I  gradu- 
ally conform  my  Covering  to  it.  As  to  the  Passions, 
Sir,  I  need  not  tell  you  that  when  indulged,  they  in- 
jure the  Health  j  that  a  calm,  quiet  self-possession, 
and  a  moderation  in  our  Expectations  and  Pursuits, 
contribute  much  to  our  Health,  as  well  as  our  happi- 
ness, and  that  Anxiety  is  injurious  to  both. 

I  had  a  good  Set  of  Teeth,  but  they  failed  me 
gradually,  without  Pain,  so  that  by  80  I  lost  them  all. 

Thus,  Sir,  you  have,  blundering  and  imperfect  as 
it   is,   an   answer   to   your    Requests,   with    my   best 
wishes  that  it  may  be  of  any  service  to  the  Purpose 
for  which  it  was  made — But  must  rely  upon  it  that 
Nothing  I  have  written  be  made  public  in  my  Name.* 
Wishing  you  long  Life  and  many  happy  Days, 
I  am  Yours,  &c. 

E.  A.  HOLYOKE. 

P.  S.  I  forgot  to  speak  of  my  repose.  When  I 
began  the  practice  of  Physick,  I  was  so  often  call'd 
up  soon  after  retiring  to  Rest,  that  I  found  it  most 
convenient  to  sit  to  a  late  Hour,  and  thus  acquired  a 
Habit  of  sitting  up  late,  which  necessarily  occasioned 

*  This  prohibition  could  only  have  regard  to  the 
period  of  his  life  time  and  was  occasioned  by  that 
extreme  modesty  which  always  rendered  it  painful  to 
the  Doctor  to  be  held  up  to  the  public  notice. 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  2Q 

my  lying  in  bed  to  a  late  Hour  in  the  Morning — till 
7  o'cl'k  in  Summer  and  8  in  Winter.  My  Business 
was  fatiguing  and  called  for  ample  repose,  and  I  have 
always  taken  care  to  have  a  full  proportion  of  Sleep, 
which  I  suppose  has  contributed  to  my  longevity. 

Recollections  &  Memorandums  of  Past  Events. 

The  first  thing  that  I  entirely  remember  was  the 
funeral  of  Aunt  Oulton,  which  was  on  July  18,  1732. 

The  first  Aurora  Borealis  I  ever  saw,  the  North- 
ern or  rather  Northeast  Sky  appeared  suffused  by  a 
dark  blood-red  colored  vapour,  without  any  variety  of 
different  colored  rays.  I  have  never  since  seen  the 
like.  This  was  about  the  year  1734.  Northern 
lights  were  then  a  novelty,  and  excited  great  wonder 
and  terror  among  the  vulgar. 

In  1737,  Square  Toed  Shoes  were  going  out  of 
fashion  ;  I  believe  few  or  none  were  worn  after  1737. 
Buckles  instead  of  Shoe  Strings  began  to  be  used 
about  the  same  time,  but  were  not  universal  in  the 
country  towns  till  1740  or  1742.  Very  broad  brim'd 
Hats  were  worn  as  early  as  I  remember.  My  father 
had  a  beaver  whose  Brims  were  at  least  7  inches  ; 
which  when  he  left  off,  I  remember  I  used  to  wear 
in  the  Garden,  or  in  a  shower,  by  way  of  Umbrella. 
They  were  all  cock'd  triangularly.  And  pulling 
them  off  by  way  of  salutation  was  invariably  the 
Fashion  by  all  who  had  any  Breeding. 

Boots  were  never  worn  except  on  horseback,  or 
snowy  or  rainy  weather.  They  frequently  had  large 


3O  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

broad  Tops  that  reach'd  full  half  way  up  the  Thigh. 
But  Boots  did  not  come  into  general  use  till  the  close 
of  the  revolutionary  war. 

Funerals  were  extravagantly  expensive.  Gold 
Rings  to  each  of  the  Bearers,  the  Minister,  the 
Physician,  &c.,  were  frequently  given  when  the  fam- 
ily could  but  ill  afford  it.  White  gloves  in  abun- 
dance, burnt  wine  to  the  company,  &c.,  &c.  This 
extravagance  occasioned  the  enacting  sumptuary  laws, 
which  though  they  check'd  did  not  entirely  suppress 
the  complaints  till  the  commencement  of  the  revolu- 
tionary war. 

In  1749,  it  was  reported  the  train  band  list  of  the 
town  of  Marblehead  was  equal  to  that  of  the  town  of 
Salem.  The  difference  is  now  very  great.  I  suppose 
Salem  has  at  least  twice  the  number  of  Marblehead. 

[1749.]*  The  Houses  (in  Salem)  were  generally 
very  ordinary.  The  first  handsome  house  was  built 
by  Mr.  Jno.  Turner,  then  Col.  Pickman,  then  Mr. 
J.  Cabot,  &c. 

There  was  but  one  ropewalk,  and  that  was  on  the 
neck,  inside  the  gate.  But  one  tavern  of  any  note, 
and  that  was  an  old  house  at  the  corner  now  occu- 
pied by  Stearns'  brick  store.  The  Houses  for  public 
worship  were  only  the  old  (first)  church — the  eastern 
parish — the  secession  from  the  first  church — the 
Friends'  meeting  house,  and  the  Episcopal  church. 


*  These  remarks  refer  to  the  period  of  Dr.  Hoi- 
yoke's  residence  in  Salem,  preceding  the  revolution. 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  3! 

The  number  of  Inhabitants  was  estimated  at  be- 
tween 5  and  6000. 

The  Commerce  of  this  town  was  chiefly  with  Spain 
and  Portugal  and  the  West  Indies,  especially  with 
St.  Eustatia.  The  Cod  fishery  was  carried  on  with 
success  and  advantage.  The  Schooners  were  em- 
ployed on  the  fishing  banks  in  the  summer,  and  in 
the  autumn  were  laden  with  Fish,  Rum,  Molasses, 
and  the  produce  of  the  country,  and  sent  to  Virginia 
and  Maryland,  and  there  spent  the  winter  retailing 
their  cargoes,  and  in  return  brought  Corn  and  Wheat 
and  Tobacco.  This  Virginia  voyage  was  seldom 
very  profitable,  but  as  it  served  to  keep  the  crews 
together,  it  was  continued  till  more  advantageous 
employment  oftered. 

There  were  a  few  Chaises  kept  by  gentlemen  for 
their  own  use,  but  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  hire  one 
to  go  a  journey. 

Salem  Observer. 

Dr.  Holyoke  during  his  whole  life,  it  is 
said,  was  never  fifty  miles  distant  from  the 
spot  where  he  was  born.  He  was  the  first 
person  to  receive  the  degree  of  M.  D.  from 
Harvard  College;  was  the  first  president  of 
the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society ;  and  he 
made  in  the  course  of  his  life  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty-four  thousand  professional 
visits. 


32  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

ANTIQUITY  OF  NURSERY  RHYMES. — Many  of  these 
productions  have  a  very  curious  history,  if  it  could 
only  be  traced.  Some  of  them  probably  owe  their 
origin  to  names  distinguished  in  our  literature  ;  as 
Oliver  Goldsmith,  for  instance,  is  believed  in  his 
earlier  days  to  have  written  such  compositions.  Dr. 
E.  F.  Rimbault  gives  us  the  following  particulars  as 
to  some  well-known  favorites  :  "  Sing  a  Song  of  Six- 
pence," is  as  old  as  the  sixteenth  century.  "  Three 
Blind  Mice"  is  found  in  a  music-book  dated  1609. 
" The  Frog  and  the  Mouse"  was  licensed  in  1580. 
"  Three  Children  Sliding  on  the  Ice "  dates  from 
1633.  "London  Bridge  is  Broken  Down"  is  of 
unfathomed  antiquity.  "Girls  and  Boys  come  out 
to  play  "  is  certainly  old  as  the  reign  of  Charles  II.  j 
as  is  also  "  Lucy  Locket  lost  her  Pocket,"  to  the 
tune  of  which  the  American  song  of  "  Yankee  Doo- 
dle "  was  written.  "  Pussy  Cat,  Pussy  Cat,  where 
have  you  been  ?  "  is  of  the  age  of  Queen  Bess. 
"  Little  Jack  Homer  "  is  older  than  the  seventeenth 
century.  "  The  Old  Woman  Tossed  in  a  Blanket  " 
is  of  the  reign  of  James  II.,  to  which  monarch  it  is 

supposed  to  allude. 

Salem  Gazette. 


Some  British  opinions  of  Benedict  Arnold. 

"  The  good  whigs  of  America,"  fays  a  late  paper, 
"  may  be  affured,  that  the  infamous  BENEDICT  AR- 
NOLD'S manfion  is  the  very  next  to  TYBURN, — a  well 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  33 

chofen  habitation  for  fuch  an  abandoned  traitor :  A 
ftep  or  two  conveys  him  to  that  fatal  fpot,  where  the 
moft  guilty  of  all  the  miferable  beings  who  have  ever 
fuffered,  was  perfe&ly  innocent  compared  with  him. 
—He  lives  defpifcd  by  the  nobility  and  gentry,  and 
execrated  by  the  people  at  large — countenanced  by 
none  excepting  their  Britannic  and  Satanic  Majefties, 
and  fuch  of  their  adherents,  refpe&ively,  who  are 
looking  for  promotion  under  their  royal  mafters." 

By  a  gentleman  from  the  fouthward  we  learn  that 
it  is  expecled  Congrefs  will  fix  their  permanent  refi- 

dence  at  Philadelphia. 

Salem  Gazette,  Feb.  26,  1784. 


N  E  W  -  Y  O  R  K,  November  16. 
By  very  recent  accounts  from  St.  John,  Nova- 
Scotia,  we  are  informed  that  BenedlR  Arnold^  having 
attempted  to  JOCKY  fome  of  the  inhabitants  out  of 
their  property,  but  being  detected,  and  the  people  be- 
ing much  exafperated,  offered  to  deliver  him  up  to 
the  Americans  for  ten  dollars  ;  but  alas  !  before  the 
bargain  was  firmly  agreed  on,  he  made  his  efcape  to 
Halifax,  and  there  got  protection  from  the  populace. 


We  are  informed  that  Benedict  Arnold  lately  failed 
from  New-Brunfwick  for  London.  It  is  faid  that  his 
refidence  in  America,  even  among  the  provincial  Loy- 
alifts,  was  rather  uncomfortable ;  he  therefore  wifely 

3 


34  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

preferred  being  enveloped  in  the  atmofphere  of  Lon- 
don to  refiding  on  a  continent  which  had  been  the 
theatre  of  his  traitorous  a&s,  and  confequently  the 
occafion  of  more  frequent  reflections  on  the  infamy 

of  his  crimes. 

Massachusetts  Gazette,  November,  1786. 


Receipt  for  apple-pudding,   in    1788,  with 
the  apple  and  the  pudding  left  out. 

For  the  HERALD  of  FREEDOM. 
How  TO  MAKE  AN  APPLE  PUDDING. 

Being  a  curious,  elaborate  and  fublime  D I  s  s  E  R  TAT  ION, 
never  before  publijhed. 

By  TINKER   DOODLE,  Efquire. 

(In  Continuation.} 
CHAPTER. — How  AND  ABOUT  NAMES. 

Nugaque  canorce.  Hor. 

I  LOOK  upon  it  as  the  greateft  happinefs  of  my 
life,  that  fortune  has  given  me  a  name  that  cor- 
refponds  with  my  nature  and  constitution.  Patriotifm 
is  the  ftrongeft  paflion ;  and  I  glory  in  being  a  Yan- 
kee.— A  Yankee  is  any  man  born  in  New-England — 
and  New-England  contains  the  three  northern  States, 
and  a  certain  little,  pejiiferous,  pfeudo  Ijland.  My 
countrymen  generally  have  the  credit  of  being  a 
good-natured,  pfalm-finging,  religious  kind  of  men, 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  35 

very  honeft,  but  plaguy  hard  in  their  dealings — info- 
much  that  a  Carolinian  or  a  Georgian  frequently  fvvear 
that  the  very  Satan  himfelf  could  never  get  to  wind- 
ward of  them. 

This  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  ftory. A  certain 

Bofton  fea  Captain,  of  a  floop  of  60  tons  burthen, 
coming  with  a  cargo  of  New-England  rum,  (hoes, 
cheefe,  potatoes,  and  other  valuable  commodities, 
into  Broadway,  which  you  muft  know  is  a  very 
narroiv  paflage  in  the  Appomatax,  a  branch  of  "James 
River  in  Virginia. Before  I  proceed  I  muft  ac- 
quaint the  ferious  reader — and  who  is  there  but  muft 
be  ferious  in  reading  the  folemn  truths  I  am  about  to 
declare — that  every  iota  of  what  I  (hall  delineate  in 

in  thefe  facred  depofitories  of  fa&s,  is  TRUTH. 1 

am  now  about  to  elucidate  the  pfalm-finging,  religious 
character  of  Yankees,  by  a  TRUE  STORY,  never  before 
publijbed. When  our  Bofton  fea  Captain,  there- 
fore, came  into  Broadway,  a  Virginian  comes  a-board 
of  him — and  as  he  goes  down  into  the  cabbin,  had  to 
ftoop  a  little,  becaufe  the  cabbin  was  low — for,  as  I 
faid  before,  the  floop  was  60  tons,  although  our  reli- 
gious fea-captain  entered  but  40  tons  at  the  Naval- 
Office  :  Howfomever  he  had  a  referve  of  confcience, 
for  the  Naval-Officer  charged  him  for  light  money, 
when  there  was  not  one  light-houfe  in  all  the  ancient 
dominion. — But  this  is  nothing  to  my  ftory. 

N.  B.  I  mean  to  give  ihe  good-r.atured  reader  a 
whole  chapter  on  the  art  of  STORY-TELLING. 

Well,  as  I  was  faying,  the  Virginian  being  obliged 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 


to  ftoop — the  Jtooping  caufed  his  head  to  be  bowed 
down  ;  and  looking  down,  he  faw  a  book  lying  upon 
the  ftarboard  locker. — Well,  fays  he,  and  what  the 
d — 1 but  I  think  it  expedient  to  omit  the  Vir- 
ginian oath  ;  for  this  man,  not  being  a  moral  man, 
fwore  confumedly,  and  did  not  know  a  bible  by  fight, 
but  only  by  hearfay. — And  Captain,  cried  the  Virgin- 
ian, will  you  fell  this  bible  of  yours  :  I  hear  it's  a 
mighty  clever  book  for  children. — And  why  not  for 
grown  people  ?  cried  the  Captain,  taking  up  the  book. 
Why,  quoth  the  Virginian,  becaufe  I  mean  my  three 
boys,  who  are  from  1 1  to  14  years  old,  {hall  be  good 
fckolards  at  their  laming — they  can  all  fay  their  letters 

already,  and  the  youngeft  can  fpell. The  Bofton 

fea  Captain  opening  the  bible  found  thefe  words : 
"  Search  the  fcriptures  ;  "  and  without  faying  any  thing 
himfelf,  pointed  out  the  paflage  to  the  Virginian. — 
Pugh  !  faid  the  Virginian,  and  walked  upon  deck. 

Now,  to  explain  this  myftery,  you  muft  know 

the  Yankee  fea  Captain  (hewed  him  the  paflage  to 
denote  that  he  would  fooner  fell  his  foul  to  the  d — 1, 
than  his  bible  to  a  Virginian ; — and  the  Virginian 
faid  pugh !  and  walked  upon  deck,  becaufe  he  could 
not  read. 


LONGEVITY.  Since  we  published  the  examples  of 
longevity,  collected  by  the  editor  of  the  Medical 
Adviser,  we  have  seen  another  list,  which  is  supposed 
to  comprise  all,  which  can  be  found  from  the  year  66 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  37 

to  1799.  The  number  of  those  who  lived  from  one 
hundred  and  seventy  to  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  years 
is  3  ;  from  one  hundred  and  sixty  to  one  hundred  and 
seventy,  2  ;  from  one  hundred  and  yf/ty  to  one  hundred 
and  J/A-/V,  3  ;  from  one  hundred  and  forty  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty,  7  ;  from  on*  hundred  and  /^/V/y  to  on*  hundred 
and  /or/y,  26  ;  from  one  hundred  and  twenty  to  on*  /;««- 
//>W  and  thirty,  84  ;  from  on*  hundred  and  /*n  to  on* 
hundred  and  twenty,  277  ;  from  en*  hundred  to  0n* 
hundred  and  ten,  1310.  Total  of  those  who  survived 

a    century,    Seventeen    hundred  and   twelve. This 

writer  could  not  have  included  in  his  list  the  ex- 
amples of  longevity  which  Russia  furnished,  for  we 
frequently  find  in  the  bills  of  mortality  of  this  country 
for  a  single  year,  twice  the  number  of  centenarians. 
We  have  before  us  the  table  of  deaths  for  1 8 1 3,  which 
gives  the  following  remarkable  ages.  One  165; — 
three  135; — one  130; — fifteen  125; — thirty-three 
from  115  to  1 20 ; — fifty-three  from  1 10  to  115  ; — one 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  from  100  to  105  ; — four- 
teen hundred  from  95  to  IOO; — two  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  forty-nine  from  90  to  95  ; — four  thousand 
four  hundred  and  fifty-one  from  85  to  90.  Whole 
number  of  deaths  971,338. 

Salem  Observer,  Oct  29,  1825. 


Boston  shop-signs  in  1789. 

To  read  the  figns  in  this  town  is  a  delicate,  fenti- 
mental  repaft. 1  hope  Bojhnians  will  never  com- 

98562 


38  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

plain  of  want  of  amufement,  while  there  is  one  fign 
ftanding.  If  I  had  time,  I  would  certainly  confult 
Milton,  to  fee  how  he  has  arranged  matters  in  his  def- 
cription  of  chaos. — I  doubt  not  I  could  there  get  a 
hint  for  two  whole  chapters.  I  had  as  lief  take  a 
walk  through  Cornhill,  as  to  go  to  the  new-invented 

moral  lectures. 

Herald  of  Freedom. 

» 

A   CURIOUS  WOMAN. 

We  have  often  heard  it  said  that  men  are 
curious,  and  we  can  well  believe  it ;  but  now 
we  find  it  recorded  that  there  has  been  at  least 
one  curious  woman.  Read  the  following  ex- 
tract from  the  "  Salem  Gazette"  of  1795  :  — 

Married  at  Andover,  Mr.  Aaron  Ofgood  to  the 
curious  Mifs  Efter  Wardwell. 


"AWFULLY   GOOD." 


In  our  opinion  the  oft-repeated  words 
"awfully  good,"  "jolly  fine,"  and  similar 
expressions,  which  sound  so  "charmingly 
sweet "  from  the  lips  of  interesting  young 
ladies,  are  quite  cast  into  the  shade  by  lan- 
guage used  in  the  following  extract  from  the 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  39 

Portsmouth,   N.  H.,   "Oracle  of  the  Day," 
Nov.   24,    1798  :  — 

MARRIED] — In  this  town,  on  Sunday  evening 
laft,  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Haven,  MARK  SIMES,  Efq. 
Deputy  Poft-Mafter,  &c.  to  the  elegantly  pretty  and 
amiably  delicate  Mifs  MARY-ANN  BLUNT, 
youngeft  daughter  of  the  late  Capt.  John  Blunt,  of 
Little-Harbour. 

Genius  of  Hymen  ;   Power  offondejl  Love  ! 
In  Jhowers  of  blifs  deft 'end  from  worlds  above, 
On  Beauty's  rofe,  and  Virtue's  manlier  form, 
And  Jhield,  ah  !  Jhield  them  both,  from  time's  tempe/l- 
uousjtorm  ! 


A  FEW  years  fmce,  a  young  gentleman  at  the 
•**  Univerfity  in  Cambridge  afked  of  a  Collegian 
the  loan  of  his  /Virgil.  The  inelegant  pronunciation 
of  the  word  Virgil  was  burlefqued  by  the  young 
Collegian  in  the  following  ftory,  with  which  his  in- 
vention readily  fupplied  him  : Lately  (fays  he)  Ifet 

out  on  a  woyage  to  W  erf  allies,  with  one  Captain  \Vinaf, 
in  a  Britijh  vjejfel  called  the  Wiper ;  but  we  foon  met 
with  a  vfiolentjiorm,  which  drove  us  into  a  port  in  W/'r- 
ginia  ;  where  one  Capt.  VJaughn,  a  wery  wicious  man, 
inwited  us  aboard  his  weffe/,  and  gave  us  feme  wea/  and 
wenifon,  with  fame  winegar,  which  made  me  wery  feck ; 
Jo  1  did  vfomit  like  wengeance ;  (and  added,  reaching 


4<D  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

out  the  book)  You  may  have  my  Wirgil,  and  welcome. 
This  humor  had  the  defired  effect ;  the  young  gen- 
tleman faw  the  abfurdity  of  doing  fuch  violence  to  the 
letter  V,  and  has  ever  fince  fpoke  like  other  people. 

Salem  Gazette,  April  26,  1791. 


What  Mr.  Welby,  an  English  gentleman, 
saw  when  he  was  in  the  United  States  in 
1821.  A  very  flattering  picture  of  the  West. 

More  Travellers'  Stories. 


From  the  National  Gazette. 

A  new  book  of  Travels  in  America  has  been  re- 
cently issued  in  London  which  rivals  the  volumes  of 
our  old  friends  Weld,  Ashe,  Fearon,  &c.  It  is  en- 
titled "  A  Visit  to  North  America  and  the  English 
Settlements  in  Illinois,  with  a  winter  residence  in 
Philadelphia  ;  solely  to  ascertain  the  actual  prosperity 
of  the  Emigrating  Agriculturist,  Mechanic,  and  Com- 
mercial Speculator" — by  Adlard  Welby,  Esquire,  of 
South  Rauceby,  Lincolnshire.  This  esquire  has  said 
enough,  should  he  be  believed,  to  settle  ultimately  the 
point  of  the  truth  or  falsehood  of  Godwin's  notable 
doctrine,  that  we  owe  the  increase  of  our  numbers 
chiefly  to  emigration.  No  sane  European  would 
venture  among  us  after  having  read  Mr.  Welby's 
book.  He  discovered  that,  in  Philadelphia,  living 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  4! 

was  very  dear^  comfort  very  uncommon,  and  good  man- 
ners still  more  rare.  Throughout  his  journey  he 
found  in  the  taverns  "a  system  of  impertinence, 
rudeness,  rascality,  and  filth,  rendered  more  intoler- 
able by  an  antipathy  to  the  English,  in  the  brutal 
manifestation  of  which  most  of  the  Colonel,  Doctor, 
and  Squire,  keepers  of  the  taverns,  were  pleased  to  in- 
dulge." When  he  asked  an  hostler  to  call  him  early 
in  the  morning,  he  was  answered  that — he  might  call 

himself  and  be  d d.     In  the  Western  country 

he  found  no  symptoms  of  hospitality — witnessed  only 
idleness  and  licentiousness,  and  experienced  every 
where  brutal  rudeness  and  unbounded  extortion. 
The  western  people  usually  combine  in  cheating  all 
travellers,  and  sometimes  "r//fc,"  that  is  shoot  resi- 
dents among  them  who  do  not  choose  to  descend  to 
their  own  level.  In  Illinois  "a  party  proposed  to 
each  other  coolly  to  go  and  shoot  neighbour  *  **, 
who  had  behaved  ill  to  them  sundry  times  ;  it  was 
agreed  upon  ;  they  went  to  his  field,  found  the  old 
man  at  plough,  and,  with  unerring  aim,  laid  him 
dead."  And  Mr.  Welby  adds  that  the  country 
would  be  desirable  to  live  in,  did  not  the  folks  shoot 
each  other  thus,  and  were  they  not  half  savages. 
The  shooting  case  reminds  us  of  a  traveller's  story 
which  we  heard  at  a  dinner  table  abroad.  A  gentle- 
man and  esquire  of  strict  veracity,  like  Mr.  Welby, 
related,  in  order  to  shew  how  common  was  the  cal- 
amity of  the  coup  de  soleil,  or  stroke  of  the  sun,  in  the 
Island  of  JAVA,  that  sitting  once  in  the  house  of  an 


42  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

opulent  merchant  of  Batavia,  drinking  a  cool  glass  of 
Madeira  after  dinner,  with  the  merchant's  wife  in  the 
room,  the  lady  was,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  re- 
duced to  a  heap  of  ashes  by  a  coup  de  sole'il ;  when  the 
husband  observed  to  his  guest,  "  don't  be  alarmed — 
we  are  accustomed  to  this ;  "  then  rang  the  bell  with 
great  composure,  and  on  the  appearance  of  the  ser- 
vant, coolly  said — "  Boy — sweep  your  mistress  out, 
and  bring  us  clean  glasses." 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Mr.  Birbeck's  settlement 
in  Illinois,  Mr.  Welby  could  obtain  neither  eggs, 
milk,  sugar,  salt,  nor  water ;  and  when  he  and  his 
party  sent  a  request  to  Mr.  Birbeck  for  some  water, 
the  answer  returned  was,  he  made  it  a  general  rule 
to  refuse  every  one.  Mr.  Birbeck  is  represented  as 
having  deceived  and  disappointed  most  of  the  English 
who  were  lured  to  his  settlement  by  his  u  Journal." 
Mr.  W.  could  discover  none  of  u  the  snug  cottages, 
with  adjoining  piggeries,  cowsteads,  gardens  and  or- 
chards," which  Mr.  B.  had  introduced  into  his  can- 
vass. He  found  nothing  but  the  primitive  log  build- 
ing, that  served  the  whole  family — "  for  parlour,  for 
kitchen,  and  hall."  "  The  strange  heterogeneous 
mixture  of  characters,"  says  Mr.  W.  "which  are 
collected  here  by  the  magic  pen  of  Morris  Birbeck, 
is  truly  ludicrous.  Among  many  others,  a  couple 
now  attend  to  the  store  at  Albion  who  lately  lived  in 
a  dashing  style  in  London,  not  far  from  Bond-street ; 
the  lady  brought  over  her  white  satin  shoes  and  gay 
dresses,  rich  carpets,  and  everything  but  what  in  such 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  43 

a  place  she  would  require — yet  I  have  understood 
that  they  have  accommodated  themselves  to  their  new 
situations,  hand  out  the  plums,  sugar,  whiskey,  See., 
with  tolerable  grace,  and  at  least  '  do  not  seem  to 
mind  it.'  " 

In  one  of  the  principal  literary  journals  of  London, 
Mr.  Welby's  book  is  recommended  as  "  carrying  on 
its  front  the  stamp  of  plain  dealing,  truth  and  candor, 
and  entitled,  from  internal  evidence,  to  the  highest 
authority  amid  the  conflicting  statements  and  opin- 
ions respecting  emigration  to  America."  The  re- 
viewer adds : — "  From  a  country  so  destitute  of 
moral  beauty  as  the  author  depicts  it,  so  disgusting 
in  its  human  externals,  and  so  low  in  the  scale,  not 
merely  of  refinement,  but  of  good  principles,  we  are 
happy  to  withdraw."  As  Mr.  Welby  spent  a  win- 
ter in  Philadelphia,  and  had  acquaintance  here,  it  is 
probable  that  such  of  the  latter  as  have  not  seen  his 
book  will  be  pleased  to  know  the  complexion  of  its 
contents. 

Salem  Register,  May  18,  1822. 


In  the  "Essex  Register"  of  July  18,  1833, 
may  be  found  the  following  notice  of  two  well- 
known  American  authors  :  — 

DISCOURSE  ON  GENIUS.  The  Richmond  Compiler 
speaks  in  terms  of  great  praise  of  a  discourse  delivered 
recently  in  Richmond,  before  a  Young  Men's  Society, 


44  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

by  Joseph  Hulbert  Nicholas.  A  number  of  extracts 
are  also  given  in  the  Compiler,  as  specimens  of  the 
performance,  from  which  we  take  the  following 
notices  of  two  of  our  fellow-townsmen. — Boston 
Courier. 

Of  Charles  Sprague,  of  Massachusetts,  no  language 
can  be  spoken  but  that  of  unqualified  praise.  For- 
saking the  modern  school  of  writing,  he  is  contented 
with  being  simple  and  natural.  Sublimity,  tender- 
ness, wit,  elegance,  and  beneficial  satire  characterise 
his  muse. — The  only  complaint  I  have  ever  heard 
made  of  him  is  that  he  does  not  write  more. 

Of  Nathaniel  Parker  Willis,  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  a  fellow-student  with  myself  at  Yale  Col- 
lege, I  come  now  to  speak.  Of  him  I  shall  speak 
familiarly,  as  of  an  intimate  friend  ;  and  impartially 
and  justly,  as  one  who  wishes  him  well.  Willis,  I 
venture  to  pronounce  the  most  remarkable  genius  our 
country  has  yet  produced.  I  do  not  call  him  remark- 
able merely  for  his  unusual  precocity  of  song,  but 
remarkable  for  the  possession  of  that  rare  genius, 
which  by  any  man,  young  or  old,  in  our  land,  I  do 
not  think  has  ever  been  displayed.  Nature  has  done 
wonderful  things  for  him  ;  but  alas  !  he  has  thus  far 
done  but  little  for  himself.  The  great  pieces  he  has 
sometimes  given  us  have  cost  him  but  little  effort, 
and  he  has  thrown  out  his  productions,  in  prose  as 
well  as  poetry,  with  a  profusion  and  a  variety  that 
seem  miraculous ;  and  yet,  of  all  our  bards,  he  has 
met  with  the  most  severe  and  merciless  censures.  In 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  45 

some  measure  he  has  deserved  the  treatment.  In 
College  he  would  not  condescend  to  study,  and  char- 
ity only  for  his  high  genius  enabled  him  to  gain  a 
degree.  Besides,  he  gained  his  first  and  best  reputa- 
tion by  pieces  founded  upon  scriptural  subjects,  and 
he  stood  committed  to  the  world  as  a  religious  man. 
Many  who  had  never  seen  aught  of  him  but  his  pro- 
ductions, and  had  formed  the  loftiest  estimate  of  his 
personal  character  from  the  pure  tendency  of  his  effu- 
sions, were  astonished  and  grieved  when  introduced 
to  the  author. — His  head  made  giddy  by  the  praises 
of  young  and  old,  he  forgot  himself,  and  possessing 
most  shrewd  good  sense,  he  would  talk  the  reverse. 
He  became  fantastic  in  apparel,  as  he  did  likewise  in 
his  style  of  writing  ;  made  himself  too  common,  and 
almost  broke  a  pious  father's  heart  by  deserting  the 
altar  of  that  divine  Jesus  upon  whose  Bible  he  had 
founded  the  fairest  fabric  of  his  fame.  My  friend,  of 
whom  I  so  sternly  speak,  is  now  in  Italy  ;  and  should 
these  remarks,  per  chance,  ever  meet  his  eye,  I  be- 
seech him  by  our  past  friendship,  by  our  walks  "  by 
moon  or  glittering  star-light,"  through  the  Eden 
groves  and  avenues  of  New-Haven,  by  the  love  he 
bears  to  his  parents,  and  above  all,  by  the  love  he 
bears  that  Saviour,  upon  whose  image  and  the  scenes 
of  whose  mortal  pilgrimage  he  is  rapturously  gazing, 
in  the  matchless  pictures  of  the  Italian  masters,  I  be- 
seech him,  when  he  returns  to  his  native  land,  to  wear 
no  longer  a  ridiculous  mask,  but  to  appear  in  his  own 
native  strength,  dignity,  and  surpassing  loveliness. 


46  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

In  the  "Salem  Observer,"  March  8,  1834, 
are  to  be  found  the  following  references  to 
well-known  young  ladies  of  the  day.  Miss 
Silsbee  is  supposed  to  be  the  daughter  of  the 
Hon.  Nathaniel  Silsbee,  of  Salem,  Massachu- 
setts senator  in  Congress.  She  afterwards 
married  Jared  Sparks,  the  well-known  his- 
torian, president  of  Harvard  College,  etc. 

HIGH  LIFE  AT  WASHINGTON.  The  Washington 
Correspondent  of  the  Boston  Morning  Post,  in  de- 
scribing Gov.  Cass's  soiree,  thus  notices  some  of  the 
young  ladies  who  were  present :  — 

Miss  Keyser  of  Baltimore,  uniting  youth  and  beau- 
ty, possesses  an  eye  as  dark  as  the  absence  of  all  light, 
beaming  with  a  lustre  that  eclipses  all.  I  never  saw 
a  countenance  betoken  such  perfect  happiness  ;  it  was 
like  a  star-lit  lake,  curling  its  lips  into  ripples  in  some 
dream  of  delight,  as  the  west  wind  salutes  them  with 
its  balmy  breath  and  disturbs  their  placid  slumber.  I 
never  before  realised  Byron's  idea  of 

"  Music  breathing  o'er  the  face  ;  " 

till  Miss  Keyser's  brought  it  home  to  the  business  and 
bosom. 

Miss  Silsbee,  of  Salem,  with  a  form  of  great  sym- 
metry, possesses  a  countenance  not  only  beautiful, 
but  entirely  intellectual — the  most  so  of  any  you  have 
met  with  either  here  or  elsewhere  ;  it  is  of  the  Italian 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  47 

model  ;  and  should  have  basked  beneath  an  Italian 
sky.  She  is  very  easy,  graceful  and  modest  in  her 
deportment,  and  dresses  l  rich  not  gaudy  ; '  the  cameo 
necklace  that  graced  her  person  was  only  the  foil  that 
set  off  the  diamond. 

Miss  Harper  of  Baltimore,  with  a  fine  face  and 
form,  is  particularly  unrivalled  for  a  bust  of  un- 
rivalled symmetry  ;  it  would  furnish  a  model  for  a 
Canova  ;  and  reminds  me  of  Greenough's  Medora. 

Miss  M'Lane  of  this  city,  with  many  separate 
charms  that  could  not  fail  of  attraction,  unites  with 
them  the  finest  of  fine  forms. 

And  last,  not  least,  the  younger  Miss  Cass  pos- 
sesses the  most  perfect  Madonna  countenance  I  have 
ever  seen  clothed  in  living  lustre.  It  was  one  of  the 
first  that  attracted  my  attention  when  I  entered  the 
saloon,  and  the  last  that  received  my  parting  glance 
when  I  retired  ;  it  seemed  to  be — 

"  While  in,  above  the  world  ;  " 

I  am  told  it  is  entirely  characteristic  ;  that  she  is  in 
heart  and  thought,  what  you  behold  in  her  counte- 
nance— happy,  but  not  gay  ;  serious  but  not  sad  ; 
devout,  yet  not  a  devotee. 


In  the  "Salem  Gazette"  of  1815  is  the 
following  curious  information  about  Scott's 
novels,  which  shows  how  easy  it  is  for  people 
to  be  mistaken. 


48  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

William  Erfkine,  Efq.  is  faid  to  be  the  author  of 
the  new  and  interefting  Novel,  "  Guy  Mannering" — : 
Walter  Scott  had  been  pronounced  the  author. 


WAVERLY. — It  is  not  yet  decided  to  whom  this 
very  interefting  novel  belongs.  It  came  into  the 
world  with  all  the  advantage  that  the  name  of  Walter 
Scott  could  give  it ;  but  Guy  Mannering's  appear- 
ance feems  to  have  diflblved  that  connection.  An 
article  in  our  first  page  attributes  the  work  to  Wm. 
Erfkine  ;  but  in  the  laft  North-American  Review  we 
read  the  following  : — u  An  Englifh  Magazine  fays, 
the  author  of  Waverly  and  Guy  Mannering  is  a 
young  gentleman  of  the  name  of  FORBES,  the  fon  of 
a  Scotch  baronet."  The  Review  remarks,  that  the 
extract  in  the  title  page  of  the  latter,  from  the  Lay  of 
tbt  Lafl  Minftrel,  was  a  delicate  way  of  informing  the 
public  that  they  were  under  a  miftake  in  attributing 
the  former  to  Walter  Scott. 


On  the  1 6th  June,  1806,  there  was  a  total 
eclipse  of  the  sun.  The  following  is  all  the 
"Salem  Gazette"  of  the  iyth  has  to  say  of 
such  a  remarkable  event. 

Yefterday  the  great  Solar  Eclipfe  took  place,  agree- 
ably to  the  calculations  which  had  been  made.  The 
day  was  very  favourable  to  viewing  it.  The  air  was 
remarkably  clear,  and  there  was  not  a  cloud  in  the 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  49 

hemifphere.  As  the  fun  fhut  in,  the  ftars  appeared, 
and  many  were  vifible  at  the  time  of  total  darkncfs. 
A  confidcrable  alteration  in  the  temperature  of  the 
atmofphere  was  felt  during  the  continuance  of  the 

Eclipfe. 

• 

In  the  "  Boston  Palladium"  of  1819,  copied 
from  a  London  paper,  is  Lord  Mansfield's  opin- 
ion about  a  word  in  Johnson's  Dictionary.  In 
the  original  editions  of  this  work  are  to  be 
found  many  very  curious  definitions,  some  of 
which  bore  so  hard  upon  the  government  as 
to  be  construed  into  libel. 

FROM    A    LONDON    PAPER. 

EXCISE. 

The  following  curious  little  document  is  the  opin- 
ion of  Lord  Mansfield,  when  Attorney-General, 
upon  Dr.  Johnson's  explanation  of  the  word  Ex- 
cise : — 

CASE. 

Mr.  Samuel  Johnson  has  lately  published  a  book, 
entitled  "  A  Dictionary  of  the  English  Language,  in 
which  the  words  are  deduced  from  their  originals,  and 
illustrated  in  their  different  significations  by  examples 
from  the  best  writers.  To  which  are  prefixed  a  His- 
tory of  the  Language  and  an  English  Grammar." 

4 


5O  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

Under  the  title  "  Excise "  are  the  following 
words  :  — 

EXCISE,  n.  s.  (accijs,  Dutch ;  excisum,  Latin,)  a 
hateful  tax  levied  upon  commodities,  and  adjudged 
not  by  the  common  judges  of  property,  but  wretches 
hired  by  those  to  whom  "  Excise  "  is  paid. 

The  people  should  pay  a  rateable  tax  for  their 
sheep,  and  an  Excise  for  every  thing  which  they 
should  eat. — HAYWARD. 

"  Ambitious  now  to  take  excise 

"  Of  a  more  fragrant  paradise." — CLEVELAND. 

EXCISE. 

44  With  hundred  rows  of  teeth  the  shark  exceeds, 
"  And  on  all  trades,  like  Cassawar,  she  feeds." 

MARVEL. 

44  Can  hire  large  houses  and  oppress  the  poor 

41  By  farm'd  Excise." — DRYDEN'S  Juvenal,  Sat.  3. 

The  Author's  definition  being  observed  by  the 
Commissioners  of  Excise,  they  desire  the  favour  of 
your  opinion  : 

£>U; — Whether  it  will  not  be  considered  as  a  libel ; 
and  if  so,  whether  it  is  not  proper  to  proceed  against 
the  author,  printers  and  publishers  thereof,  or  any  and 
which  of  them,  by  information  or  how  otherwise? 

OPINION. 

41 1  am  of  opinion  that  it  is  a  libel ;  but  under  all 
the  circumstances,  I  should  think  it  better  to  give 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  5! 

him  an  opportunity  of  altering  his  definition  ;  and  in 
case  he  don't,  threaten  him  with  an  information. 

"(Signed)  W.  MURRAY. 

U29th  Nov,  1755." 


Samuel  Sewall,  whose  remarkable  "  Diary  " 
has  within  a  few  years  been  printed  by  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Historical  Society,  appears  to  have 
been  the  successor  of  John  Foster,  who  printed 
the  first  book  ever  issued  from  the  press  in 
Boston, —  namely,  "  Hubbard's  Election  Ser- 
mon,"—  in  1676.  All  previous  printing  in 
the  colony  had  been  executed  at  Cambridge. 
Mr.  Hubbard  was  the  minister  of  Ipswich. 

SAMUEL   SEWALL. 

When  John  Foster  (the  first  who  carried  on  print- 
ing in  Boston)  died  in  1681,  the  town  was  without 
the  benefit  of  the  press  ;  but  a  continuance  of  it  be- 
ing thought  necessary,  Samuel  Sewall,  not  a  prin- 
ter but  a  magistrate,  and  a  man  much  respected, 
was  selected  as  a  proper  person  to  manage  the  con- 
cerns of  it,  and  as  such  was  recommended  to  the 
general  court.  In  consequence  of  this  recommenda- 
tion, the  court,  in  Oct.  1681,  gave  him  liberty  to 
carry  on  the  business  of  printing  in  Boston.  The 
license  is  thus  recorded :  "  Samuel  Sewall,  at  the 


52  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

instance  of  some  Friends,  with  respect  to  the  accom- 
modation of  the  public,  being  prevailed  with  to  under- 
take the  Management  of  the  Printing  Press  in  Boston, 
late  under  the  command  of  Mr.  John  Foster,  deceased, 
liberty  is  accordingly  granted  to  him  for  the  same  by 
this  court,  and  none  may  presume  to  set  up  any  other 
Press  without  the  like  Liberty  first  granted." 

Sewall  became  a  bookseller. — Books  for  himself 
and  others  were  printed  at  the  press  under  his  man- 
agement ;  as  were  several  acts  and  laws,  with  other 
works  for  government.  Samuel  Green,  jun.,  was  his 
printer.  In  1682  an  order  passed  the  general  court 
for  the  treasurer  to  pay  Sewall  ten  pounds  seventeen 
shillings,  for  printing  the  election  sermon,  delivered 
that  year  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Torrey. 

In  1684,  Sewall,  by  some  means,  was  unable  to 
conduct  the  press,  and  requested  permission  of  the 
general  court  to  be  released  from  his  engagement. 
This  was  granted  ;  the  record  of  his  release  is  in  the 
words  following. 

"  Samuel  Sewall  by  the  providence  of  God  being 
unable  to  attend  the  press,  &c.,  requested  leave  to  be 
freed  from  his  obligations  concerning  it,  which  was 
granted,  with  thanks  for  the  liberty  then  granted." 

In  1684,  and  for  several  subsequent  years,  the  loss 
of  the  charter  occasioned  great  confusion  and  disorder 
in  the  political  concerns  of  the  colony.  Soon  after 
Sewall  resigned  his  office  as  conductor  of  the  press  in 
Boston,  he  went  to  England,  and  he  returned  in  1692. 
He  was  undoubtedly  the  same  Samuel  Sewall  who, 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  53 

when  a  new  charter  was  granted  by  king  William, 
was  for  many  years  one  of  the  council  for  the  prov- 
ince, and  who,  in  1692,  was  appointed  one  of  the 
Judges  of  the  Superior  Court ;  in  1715  Judge  of  Pro- 
bate ;  and  in  1718,  Chief  Justice  of  iMassachusetts. 
He  died  Jan.  I,  1729,  aged  78  years. — Boston  News 
Letter. 


Knowledge  of  natural  history  at  the  Isles  of 
Shoals  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century. 

A  CENTURY  AGO.  The  N.  York  Gazette  re- 
lates that  when  Rev.  Mr.  Tuck,  in  the  early  part  of 
the  last  century,  was  ordained  minister  of  Star  Island, 
one  of  a  cluster  called  the  Isles  of  Shoals,  his  parish 
offered  him,  beside  the  usual  parsonage  house,  a 
quintal  of  fish  each  family,  but  no  money,  as  a 
salary.  It  is  well  known  that  the  fish  cured  at  these 
islands  are  called  dun  fish,  and  have  the  highest  repu- 
tation for  excellence  wherever  known.  They  are 
caught  in  the  depth  of  winter,  and  are  fit  for  market 
before  the  hot  weather.  They  derive  the  name  of 
dun  from  the  color  which  they  assume.  There  were 
at  the  period  of  which  we  speak,  about  fifty  families 
in  the  cluster,  giving  him  fifty  quintals  per  year. 
The  average  price  of  a  dun  fish  is  about  ten  dollars, 
and  the  worthy  pastor  always  procured  a  ready  sale 
for  them,  thereby  realizing  his  five  hundred  dollars 
per  annum.  With  this  stipend  he  flourished,  and 


54  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

brought  up  a  family,  whom  he  educated  himself,  and 
fitted*  one  of  his  sons  for  entrance  into  Harvard  Col- 
lege. The  lad  had  never  been  away  from  the  Shoals 
till  he  reached  Long  wharf  on  his  way  to  Cambridge. 
He  had  never  seen  a  horse,  nor  heard  a  church  bell. 
On  landing,  he  saw  many  horses  attached  to  various 
vehicles  ;  and  speaking  to  his  father,  said,  "  Only  see 
what  queer  cows  they  have  in  Boston  !  they  are  not 
shaped  like  ours,  and  are  all  without  horns."  In 
passing  by  the  Old  South,  in  Cornhill,  the  big  bell  of 
that  church  struck  up  a  peal,  the  effect  of  which 
nearly  drove  the  young  man  mad. 

Salem  Observer  [1829], 


What  Captain  Hall,  R.  N.,  thought  of  a 
Salem  gentleman. 

From    Capt.    Basil   Hall's    Travels   in   America — -just 
published. 

We  reached  the  town  of  Salem  in  good  time  for 
dinner  ;  and  here  I  feel  half  tempted  to  break  through 
my  rule,  in  order  to  give  some  account  of  our  dinner- 
party, chiefly,  indeed,  that  I  might  have  an  opportu- 
nity of  expatiating — which  I  could  do  with  perfect  truth 
and  great  pleasure — on  the  conversation  of  our  excellent 
host.  For  I  have  rarely,  in  any  country,  met  a  man 
so  devoid  of  prejudice,  or  so  willing  to  take  all  mat- 
ters on  their  favorable  side,  and  withal,  who  was  so 
well  informed  about  every  thing  in  his  own  and  in 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  55 

other  countries,  or  who  was  more  ready  to  impart  his 
knowledge  to  others. 

To  these  agreeable  attributes  and  conversational 
powers  he  adds  such  a  mirthfulness  of  fancy,  and 
genuine  heartiness  of  good-humour,  to  all  men,  wo- 
menx  and  children  who  have  the  good  fortune  to 
make  his  acquaintance,  that  I  should  have  no  scruple 
— if  it  were  not  too  great  a  liberty — in  naming  him 
as  the  person  I  have  been  most  pleased  with  in  all  my 
recent  travels. 

After  dinner,  we  repaired  to  the  Museum,  the  rich 
treasures  of  which  have  been  collected  exclusively  by 
captains  or  supercargoes  of  vessels  out  of  Salem,  who 
had  doubled  one  or  other  of  the  great  southern 
promontories, — the  Cape,  and  the  Horn,  as  they  are 
technically  called  by  seamen.  As  my  eye  fell  on 
numberless  carefully  cherished  objects,  which  I  had 
often  seen  in  familiar  use  on  the  other  side  of  the 
globe,  my  imagination  revelled  far  and  wide  into 
regions  I  may  never  live  to  see  again. 

Salem  Observer,  1826. 


Compliment  to  New  England.  In  a  speech  made  by 
Mr.  Lyell,  the  eminent  geologist,  at  a  late  meeting  of 
the  British  Geological  Association,  he  said — "  Were  I 
ever  so  unfortunate  as  to  quit  my  native  land  to  re- 
side permanently  elsewhere,  I  should  without  hesita- 
tion choose  the  United  States  for  my  second  country, 
especially  New  England,  where  a  population  of  more 


56  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

than  two  millions  enjoys  a  higher  average  standard  of 
prosperity  and  intellectual  advancement  than  any 
other  population  of  equal  amount  on  the  globe." 

Salem  Observer,  1843. 


Mrs.  Trollope  avers  that  pigs  are  caressed 
by  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  New  York. 

"REFUGEE   IN   AMERICA." 

NEW- YORK  AND  BOSTON.  Mrs.  Trollope,  in  her 
new  work,  called  the  Refugee  in  America,  introduces 
some  queer  comparisons  between  the  manners  of  the 
two  cities.  We  quote  for  example  : — "  In  Boston, 
there  are  no  persons  allowed  to  vote  at  the  elections 
of  President  or  Governor  of  that  province  but  native 
born  yankees ;  while  at  New-York,  emigrants  are 
forced  from  the  ship's  in  which  they  arrive  directly  to 
the  hustings,  which  are  kept  open  the  first  two  weeks 
of  every  month  at  Mason's  lodge,  Broadway,  where 
they  are  allowed  to  jostle  off"  the  sidewalks  the  most 
respectable  inhabitants.  If  they  are  reproved  for  such 
conduct,  the  answer  invariably  is, — 'Isn't  this  a  land 
of  liberty  ? '  I  was  one  forenoon  myself  stopped  at 
the  lodge  and  offered  a  vote,  with  the  preliminary 
question, — '  Are  you  a  Clay  or  a  Jackson  man  ? '  In 
Boston,  a  person  seen  with  a  segar  in  his  mouth  in 
the  street,  is  counted  a  blackguard  ;  but  in  New- 
York  no  gentleman  makes  his  promenade  without 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  57 

one.  In  Boston,  a  housekeeper  would  be  placed  at 
the  Sessions  dock  for  suffering  the  refuse  of  his  man- 
sion to  be  thrown  into  the  street ;  while  in  N.  York 
he  would  be  fined  $i  if  he  allowed  it  to  be  thrown 
elsewhere  near  his  premises.  Swine  is  a  Bostonian's 
bane,  and  a  N.  Yorker's  antidote, — indeed  this  animal 
is  as  much  caressed  by  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of 
the  latter  city,  as  a  lap-dog  in  London  or  Paris.  The 
Governor  and  his  twenty  chosen  ministers  have  made 
it  a  capital  offence  to  molest  one  of  these  interesting 
quadrupeds  while  roaming  the  streets  !  " — [Oh  !  what 

a  lying  jade  !] 

Salem  Observer,  Oct.  13,  1832. 


EARLY  ACCOUNTS  OF  NEW-ENGLAND.  The  first 
settlers  of  New-England  must  have  been  blessed  with 
singular  powers  of  vision.  One  of  them  speaks  of 
lions  in  Cape  Ann  ;  another  (Josselyn),  who  arrived 
at  Boston  in  1663,  and  resided  in  this  Colony  about 
eight  years,  says  of  our  frogs,  tl  some,  when  they  sit 
upon  their  breech,  are  a  foot  high,  and  some  as  long 
as  a  child  one  year  old."  He  likewise  says  "  old 
barley  frequently  degenerates  into  oats "  in  New- 
England. 

"  Enthusiasm "  is  described  as  a  nervous 
disorder  by  Dr.  Douglass,  author  of  the  His- 
torical Summary. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 


DR.  DOUGLASS'S  NOTICE  OF  SALEM.  In  looking 
over  Dr.  Douglass'  historical  summary,  we  found  the 
following  note  on  Salem.  The  author  formerly  lived 
in  Boston,  and  after  his  removal  to  England,  pub- 
lished his  work  in  1749.  As  he  was  a  physician,  he 
probably  considered  himself  authorized  to  broach  new 
theories.  He  certainly  showed  his  ingenuity  in  im- 
puting to  our  soil  a  tendency  to  produce  the  diseases 
of  which  he  makes  mention.  It  is  perhaps  fortunate 
for  us  that  the  Doctor  did  not  live  in  our  day,  as  he 
would  have  found  in  the  excitement  which  has  re- 
cently prevailed  here  in  relation  to  the  Mill  Dam, 
Theatre,  &c.,  new  proofs  of  the  correctness  of  his 
hypothesis. 

"In  Salem  and  its  neighborhood  Enthusiasm  and  other 
nervous  disorders  seem  to  be  endemial.  Hypochondriack, 
hysterick,  and  other  maniack  disorders  prevail  there,  and 
Ipswich  adjoining,  to  this  day." 

Salem  Register,  1826. 


Beer  and  cider  "  Federal  liquors." 

PHILADELPHIA,  July  23  [1788]. 
A  correfpondent  wiflies  that  a  monument  could   be 
erected  in  UNION  GREEN,  with  the  following  in- 
fcription :  — 

IN    HONOUR    OF 

AMERICAN   BEER   AND   CYDER. 
It  is  hereby  recorded,  for  the  information  of  ftran- 
gers   and   pofterity,  that   17000  people  aflembled  on 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  59 

this  Green,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1788,  to  celebrate 
the  eftablifliment  of  the  Conftitution  of  the  United 
States,  and  that  they  feparated  at  an  early  hour, 
without  intoxication  or  a  fmgle  quarrel.  They 
drank  nothing  hut  Beer  and  Cyder.  Learn,  reader, 
to  prize  thofe  invaluable  federal  liquors,  and  to  con- 
fider  them  as  the  companions  of  thofe  virtues  which 
can  alone  render  our  country  free  and  refpe&able. 

Learn  likewife  to  defpife 

SPIRITUOUS  LIQJLJORS,  as  ant'ifederal ; 

and  to  confider  them  as  the  companions  of  all  thofe 

vices  which  are  calculated  to  difhonour  and  enflave 

our  country. 

• 

In  these  "awfully  fine"   times,  the  follow- 
ing lines  ought  to  be  interesting:  — 

....POETRY.... 

From  the  Lady's  Miscellany. 
YANKEE    PHRASES. 

AS  sound  as  a  nut  o'er  the  plain, 
I  of  late  whistled  chuck  full  of  glee, 
A  stranger  to  sorrow  and  pain, 
As  happy  as  happy  could  be. 

As  plump  as  a  partridge  I  grew, 
My  heart  being  lighter  than  cork  ; 

My  slumbers  were  calmer  than  dew,    « 
My  body  was  fatter  than  pork. 


6O  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

Thus  happy,  I  hop'd  I  should  pass 

Slick  as  grease  down  the  current  of  time  ; 

But  pleasures  are  brittle  as  glass, 
Although  as  a  fiddle  they're  fine. 

Jemima,  the  pride  of  the  vale, 

Like  a  top  nimbly  danc'd  o'er  the  plains ; 
With  envy  the  lasses  were  pale, 

With  wonder  stood  gazing  the  swains. 

She  smil'd  like  a  basket  of  chips, 
As  tall  as  a  may-pole  her  size — 

As  sweet  as  molasses  her  lips — 
As  bright  as  a  button  her  eyes. 

Admiring,  I  gaz'd  on  her  charm, 

My  peace  that  would  trouble  so  soon, 

And  thought  not  of  danger  nor  harm, 
Any  more  than  the  man  in  the  moon. 

But  now  to  my  sorrow  I  find 
Her  heart  is  as  hard  as  a  brick, 

To  my  passion  forever  unkind, 

Though  of  love  I  am  full  as  a  tick. 

I  sought  her  affection  to  win, 

In  hope  of  obtaining  relief; 
Till  I  like  a  hatchet  grew  thin, 

And  she,  like  a  haddock,  grew  deaf. 

I  latetwas  as  fat  as  a  doe, 

And  playful  and  spry  as  a  cat ; 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  6 1 

But  now  I  am  as  dull  as  a  hoe, 
And  as  lean  and  as  weak  as  a  rat. 

Unless  the  unpitying  fates 

With  passion  as  ardent  will  cram  her, 
As  certain  as  death  or  as  rates, 

I  soon  shall  be  dead  as  a  hammer. 

Salem  Gazette,  April  5,  1811. 


Gentlemen    and    children    have    sometimes 
been  considered  bugbears. 

Boarders  Wanted. 

TWO  or  Three  Ladies  can  be  accommodated  with 
Board,  on  reasonable  terms,  in  a  small  family, 
1 8  miles  from  town,  where  there  are  neither  Gentle- 
men or  Children  ;  a  Stage  passes  the  house  twice  a 
week,  and  the  Middlesex  Canal   Boat  near  it  every 
other  day.     Inquire  at  the  Centinel  Counting  Room. 
Columbian  Centinel,  July  25,  1812. 


LIBERAL   DONATIONS 

Of  the  Legiflature  of  New-York  to  the  Univerfity  of 
that  State:  1,500!.  for  the  Library;  lool.  for  chemi- 
cal apparatus;  i,2Ool.  for  a  wall  round  the  College; 
5,oool.  for  erecting  a  Hall,  and  additional  wing  to  the 
College  ;  750!.  for  five  years  annually,  for  the  fala- 


62  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

ries   of  additional   Profeflbrs. Blujh !     Citizens  of 

Majfachufetts,  for  your   Legi/lators — who   have  fo  fre- 
quently denied  relief  to  your  Univerjity  !  !  ! 

Columbian  Centinel,  May  5,  1792. 


The  books  children  read  in  1789. 
A  great  Variety  of 

Children's  Books 

Neatly  printed,  and  adorned  with  elegant  Cuts,  are 
fold  by  T.  C.  GUSHING,  at  the  Printing-Office 
in  Salem — viz. 

LITTLE    ROBIN    RED-BREAST. 
Memoirs  of  a  PEGTOP. 
The  SUGAR-PLUMB;   or,  fweet  Amufement  for 

leifure  hours. 
The  JUVENILE  BIOGRAPHER,  containing  the 

Lives  of  little  Matters  and  Mifles. 
Be   MERRY   and   WISE;    or,   the   Cream   of  the 
Jefts,  and  the  Marrow  of  Maxims,  for  the  Con- 
duit of  Life. 

The  HOLY  BIBLE  abridged. 
Hiftory  of  little  KING  PIPPIN. 

of  GILES  GINGERBREAD. 

of  TOM  JONES. 

>f  Mafter  JACKEY  and  Mifs  HARRIOT, 
-of  CHARLES    CAREFUL  and   HARRY 
HEEDLESS. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  63 

Mother  GOOSE's  Melody. 

The  Exhibition  of  TOM  THUMB. 

Tom  Thumb's  SONG  BOOK. 

The  FATHER'S  Gift. 

The  MOTHER'S  Gift. 

The  BROTHER'S  Gift. 

The  SISTER'S  Gift. 

Nurfe  Truelove's  NEW-YEAR's  GIFT. 

Death  and  Burial  of  COCK-ROBIN. 

The  ROYAL  ALPHABET. 

The  HERMIT  of  the  Foreft,  and  the  Wandering 

Infants. 

Salem  Mercury. 

• 

A  new  way  to  cure  insanity. 

A   CURIOUS  IDEA 

KN  O  W  L  E  DG  E  is  attained  with  the  greateft 
difficulty ;  we  have  it  not  by  intuition,  but 
acquire  it  by  many  unfuccefsful  trials  and  long  ex- 
perience. One  gives  a  hint,  and  the  other  improves 
it ;  but  prejudice  and  ignorance  too  often  ftand  in  the 
way  :  "  That  cannot  be"  or  "  /  cannot  believe  that" 
has  cruftied  many  an  ufeful  project.  How  incredible 
did  the  recovery  of  drowned  perfons  appear  at  firft  ! 
When  the  report  reached  England,  that  many  abroad 
had  been  brought  again  to  life,  after  laying  under 
water  fome  time,  who  gave  it  credit  ?  But  experience 
has  fince  convinced  us  of  its  poffibility. 


64  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.. 

Now,  from  the  great  fuccefs  attending  the  recovery 
of  drowned  perfons,  I  would  offer  a  hint  to  the  pub- 
lic, and  leave  it  to  be  improved  by  them,  refpe£ting 
the  recovery  of  thofe  who  are  mad,  and  given  up  as 
incurable. 

When  madnefs  breaks  forth,  the  firft  care  of  the 
phyfician  is  to  reduce  and  keep  his  patient  low,  in 
order  to  check  the  velocity  and  whirl  of  his  thoughts  j 
and  if  poffible  to  procure  deep,  by  quieting  the  inter- 
nal turbulency.  If  all  his  fkill  and  efforts  fail,  fuch  a 
perfon  is  as  much  loft  to  fociety  as  if  he  were  dead. 
Now  if  fuch  an  one  were  plunged  into  water,  and 
there  kept  until  he  was  apparently  dead,  and  was  then 
recovered  by  the  ufual  methods  (and  of  which  recov- 
ery we  have  now  a  moral  certainty)  I  am  apt  to  be- 
lieve we  fhould  behold  a  perfect  cure.  There  is,  I 
own,  fomething  {hocking  to  nature  in  the  experiment; 
but  if  the  patient  be  already  loft,  and  dead  to  fociety, 
why  ftiould  we  hefitate  a  moment  to  make  the  trial, 
when  the  probability  of  fucceeding  is  fo  flattering  ? 

Salem  Gazette,  July  12,  1791. 


It  would  be  interesting  to  see  the  punch- 
bowl out  of  which  the  members  of  Congress 
drank  in  1811,  on  the  day  succeeding  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pearson. 

At  Washington,  Hon.  JOSEPH  PEARSON,  Esq. 
(Federal  Representative  from  N.  Carolina),  to  Miss 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  65 

ELEANOR  BRENT,  daughter  of  Robt.  Brent,  Esq., 
Mayor  of  the  city. — 99*  The  greater  part  of  the 
members,  the  next  day,  left  the  business  of  the  nation  to 
attend  the  punch  drinking,  so  that  the  House  adj'd  at  an 
early  hour.  Dec.  13,  1811. 


As  the  following  lines  have  the  indorse- 
ment of  a  Hartford  paper,  we  venture  to  re- 
produce them :  — 

From  the  New- York  Daily  Advertifer,  May  10. 
DESCRIPTION  OF  CONNECTICUT. 

T  TERE  fond  remembrance  ftampt  her  much  lov'd 

names, 

Here  boafts  the  foil  its  London  and  its  Thames ; 
Throughout  her  fhores  commodious  ports  abound, 
Clear  flow  the  waters  of  the  varying  ground  ; 
Cold  nipping  winds  a  lengthen'd  winter  bring, 
Late  rife  the  produces  of  the  tardy  fpring. 
The  broken  foil  a  labouring  race  requires  ; 
Each  barren  hill  its  generous  crops  admires, 
Where  nature  meanly  did  her  gifts  impart, 
Yet,  fmiling,  owns  how  much  (he  owes  to  art. 

But  keen  as  winds  that  guide  the  wintry  reign, 
All  bow  to  lucre,  all  are  bent  on  gain  ; 
As  chance  decreed,  their  various  lots  are  thrown  ; 
Its  houfe  each  acre,  every  mile  its  town  -, 

5 


66  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

vWith  gilded  fpire  the  frequent  church  is  feen, 
Sacred  to  him  that  taught  them  to  be  keen ; 
x  Eternal  fquabblings  greafe  the  lawyer's  paw, 
All  have  their  fuits,  and  all  have  ftudied  law ; 
With  tongue  that  art  and  nature  taught  to  fpeak, 
Some  rave  in  Latin,  fome  difpute  in  Greek ; 
Proud  of  their  books,  in  ancient  lore  they  (hine, 
And  one  month's  ftudy  makes  a  learn'd  divine ; 
Fond  to  converfe,  with  deep  defigning  views, 
They  pump  the  travelling  ftranger  of  his  news  ; 
Fond  of  his  wit,  but  fonder  to  be  paid, 
Each  houfe  a  tavern,  claims  a  tavern's  trade  ; 
While  he  that  comes,  as  furely  hears  them  praife 
The  hofpitality  of  modern  days. 

Yet  brave  in  arms,  of  enterprifing  foul, 
They  tempt  old  Neptune  to  the  fartheft  pole  ; 
In  learning's  walks  explore  the  mazy  way 
(For  genius  here  has  (bed  his  golden  ray) ; 
In  war's  bold  arts  thro'  various  contefts  try'd, 
True  to  themfelves,  they  took  their  country's  fide, 
And,  party  feuds  difmifs'd,  join  to  agree 
That  fcepter  only  juft  that  left  them  free. 

Connecticut  Cottrant,  July  14,  1790. 

Errors  of  the  press. 

The  following  paragraphs  will  shew  how  com- 
pletely the  sense  is  altered  by  the  omission  of  a  single 
letter  of  the  word  in  Italics. 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  6/ 

*'  The  conflict  was  dreadful,  and  the  enemy  was 
repulsed  with  considerable  laughter." 

"  Robert  Jones  was  yesterday  brought  before  the 
sitting  Magistrate,  on  a  charge  of  having  spoken  rea- 
son at  the  Barleymow  public-house." 

14  In  consequence  of  the  numerous  accidents  occa- 
sioned by  skaiting  on  the  Serpentine  River,  measures 
are  taking  to  put  a  top  to  it." 

44  When  Miss  Leserve,  late  of  Covent  Garden 
Theatre,  visited  the  4  Hecla,'  she  was  politely  drawn 
up  the  ship's  side  by  means  of  a  hair" 

44  At  the  Guildhall  dinner,  none  of  the  poultry  was 
eatable  except  the  owls" 

44  A  gentleman  was  yesterday  brought  up  to  answer 
a  charge  of  having  eaten  a  hackney-coachman  for  hav- 
ing demanded  more  than  his  fare  ;  and  another  was 
accused  of  having  stolen  a  small  ox  out  of  the  Bath 
mail ;  the  stolen  property  was  found  in  his  waistcoat 

pocket." 

Salem  Register,  1827. 


A  CURIOSITY. 

We  have  often  heard  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  being 
written  in  the  compafs  of  a  (hilling,  but  have  lately 
feen  a  piece  of  paper  of  that  dimenfion,  which  con- 
tains, in  manufcript,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Creed, 
the  Ten  Commandments,  Pfalms  117,  120,  127,  131, 
132,  134,  and  150;  gth  chapter  of  Proverbs,  Prayer 
of  St.  Chryfoftom,  two  Collects,  Prayer  for  the  Royal 


68  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

Family,  Nobility,  Clergy,  &c.,  &c.,  the  Blefling,  and 
Junior,  1702,  the  name  of  the  writer.  This  curiofity 
is  in  the  pofleffion  of  Mr.  John  Reeder,  of  Brighton, 
who  being  an  auctioneer  at  a  fale  where  it  was  lately 
fold,  purchafed  it  on  very  eafy  terms.  It  is  not  legible 
without  a  good  glafs."  \_Eng.  pap. 

Columbian  Centinel,  June  5,  1790. 


In  an  old  Salem  paper  we  find  the  following: 


We  understand  the  number  of  deaths  in  this 
town  the  past  year  was  234,  of  which  15  died  abroad. 

This  reminds  us  of  the  curious  jumble  made 
in  the  first  edition  of  Morse's  "American 
Gazetteer,"  published  in  Boston  in  1797.  In 
the  description  of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  it  says  : 
"  This  city  and  suburbs,  by  enumeration  in 
1797,  contained  1,263  buildings,  of  which  863 
were  dwelling-houses  and  6,021  inhabitants. 
Many  of  them  are  in  the  Gothic  style  with  the 
gable  end  to  the  street,  which  custom  the  first 

D  ' 

settlers  brought  from  Holland." 


The  earliest  American  writer  of  whom  we  have  any 
information  was  Peter  Bulkley,  who  was  born  in  England 
in  1583  and  died  in  1659  in  Massachusetts,  and  wrote 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  69 

Latin  Poetry  and  Sermons.  The  earliest  poetic  vol- 
ume written  in  this  country  was  by  Anne  Bradstreet, 
of  Boston,  born  1612,  died  1672. 

Salem  Observer,  1834. 


The  author  of  these  lines  must  have  been 
one  of  the  old  school. 

[The  following  was  paid  for  as  an  Advertifement .] 

The  folloing  lines  were  Presented  to  A  lat  flcull  mif- 
tres  in  this  town  by  4  of  her  fkolers  the  morning 
after  her  mareg 

MAY  all  Joiy  and  happinefs  Vait 
To  attend  your  nuptal  ftat 
you  our  inftrucler  and  the  Guid 
of  our  early  youth  befide 
as  you  Quit  the  plas 
wich  you  fild  with  euery  Gras. 
Our  Grateful  Thanks  are  fure  your  due. 
Except  them  thearfor  from  us  fue. 
Whos  fhur  to  you  that  pras  is  due. 
Muft  euery  forro  euery  Gear  be  yourn 
Forbid  it  Heauin  and  let  it  turn 
to  peas  and  Joiys  next  to  diuin 
Rife  Gloriouf  euery  futer  Sun 
and  Blesf  your  days  with  Joiys  as  this  has  dun 
let  forrows  fese  and  Joiys  tak  plas 
to  briten  euery  futer  day  with  equil  Gras 


7O  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

and  wen  your  cald  from  hence  above 
may  you  inioy  your  fouors  Loue 
wee  ever  {hall  regrat  our  los 
and  yet  with  you  wee  all  reioyfs 

Essex-  Gazette,  May  14,  1771. 


Boston  school-books  in  1790. 

The  School  Committee  in  Bofton  have  ordered  that 
the  following  Books  be  ufed  in  the  Reading  Schools 
of  that  town,  viz. 

The  HOLY  BIBLE  ; 

WEBSTER'S  SPELLING-BOOK; 

The  Young  Ladies'  ACCIDENCE  ; 

Webfter's  American  SELECTION  of  Leflbns  in 
Reading  and  Speaking  ; 

The  CHILDREN'S  FRIEND  ; 

MORSE's  GEOGRAPHY  abridged;  and 

The  NEWSPAPERS,  occafionally. 

Salem  Gazette. 


ANECDOTE. 

WHEN  Oliver  Cromwell  firft  coined  his  money, 
an  old  cavalier  looking  upon  one  of  the  new 
pieces,  read  this  infcription  on  one  fide,  God  with  us; 
on  the  other  ffde,  The   Commonwealth  of  England.     I 
fee,  faid  he,  God  and  the  Commonwealth  are  on  different 

fides. 

Salem  Mercury,  June  26,  1787. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 


Two  different  ways  of  telling  a  story. 

Anecdote.  A  CLERGYMAN,  who  in  the  Matri- 
monial Lottery  had  drawn  much  worfe  than  a  blank, 
and,  without  the  patience  of  Socrates,  had  to  encoun- 
ter the  turbulent  fpirit  of  Xantippe,  was  interrupted 
in  the  middle  of  a  Curtain  Leflure,  by  the  arrival  of  a 
pair,  requefting  his  afliftance  to  introduce  them  to  the 
blejjed  ftate  of  Wedlock.  The  poor  Prieft,  actuated 
at  the  moment  by  his  own  feelings  and  particular  ex- 
perience^ rather  than  a  fenfe  of  canonical  duty,  opened 
the  book,  and  began  :  u  Man,  that  is  born  of  a  Wo- 
man, hath  but  a  Jhort  time  to  live,  and  is  full  of  trouble, 
&e.,  fcff.,"  repeating  the  burial  fervice.  The  afton- 
ifhed  Bridegroom  exclaimed,  "  Sir  !  Sir  !  you  miftake, 
I  came  here  to  be  married,  not  buried  !  "  "Well  (re- 
plied the  Clergyman),  if  you  infift  on  it,  I  am  obliged 
to  marry  you  —  but  believe  me,  my  friend,  you  had 
better  be  buried" 

Columbian  Centinel,  March  12,  1791. 


ANECDOTE.  It  is  doubtless  recollected  that  Dean 
Swift,  though  a  great  favorite  among  the  ladies,  was 
(no  doubt  for  good  and  substantial  reasons)  never- 
theless a  bachelor.  His  opinion  of  the  married  state 
seemed  to  be  not  very  much  exalted.  On  one  occa- 
sion, he  had  been  called  upon  to  marry  a  couple,  and 
after  getting  them  properly  arranged,  commenced  as 
follows :  "  Man,  that  is  born  of  a  woman,  hath  but 


72  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

a  short  time  to  live,  and  is  full  of  misery,"  &c.  "  My 
dear  sir,"  interrupted  the  bridegroom,  "  you  are  read- 
ing the  burial  service,  instead  of  the  matrimonial." 
"  Never  mind,  friend,"  whispered  the  Dean,  "you  bad 

better  be  buried  than  married" 

Salem  Observer,  1834. 


AN   OPPOSITION. 

Dryden  and  Otway  lived  oppofite  to  each  other  in 
Queen-ftreet.  Otway  coming  one  night  from  the 
tavern,  chalked  upon  Dryden's  door,  Here  lives  "John 
Dryden^  he  is  a  wit.  Dryden  knew  his  hand  writing, 
and  next  day  chalked  on  Otway's  door,  Here  lives 

Tom  Otway  ^  he  is  oppo-fite. 

Essex  Register,  1802. 


Specimens  of  old  time  newspaper  poetry. 

To  a  L  A  D  Y  who  admired  dancing. 

MA  Y I  presume  in  humble  lays, 
My  dancing- fair,  thy  steps  to  praise  ? 
While  this  grand  maxim  I  advance, 
That  all  the  world  is  but  a  dance, 
That  human-kind,  both  man  and  woman, 
Do  dance  is  evident  and  common. 
David  himself,  that  God-like  king, 
We  know  could  dance,  as  well  as  sing. 
Folks  who  at  court  would  keep  their  ground, 
Must  dance  the  year  attendance  round. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  73 

All  nature  is  one  ball,  we  find: 
The  water  dances  to  the  wind ; 
The  sea  itself  at  night  and  noon 
Rises  and  capers  to  the  moon  ; 
The  moon  around  the  earth  does  tread 
A  Cheshire  round  in  buxom  red ; 
The  earth  and  planets  round  the  sun 
Dance,  nor  will  their  dance  be  done 
'  Till  nature  in  one  mass  is  blended ; 
Then  we  may  say  the  ball  is  ended. 

Salem  Mercury,  July  29,  1788. 


THE    FOUNT. 


THE  following — from  the  pen  of  a  fair  cor- 
respondent— cannot  be  read  without   PLEASURE  and 

IMPROVEMENT. 

LINES  FOR  A    SCREEN. 

TO     BE     WRITTEN     BENEATH     THE     FIGURE     OF     "  MI- 
NERVA   HOLDING    A    CROWN    OF    OLIVE." 


A, 


.H  !    lovely  Ladies — while  with  care 
Ye  guard  from  harm  your  FACES  fair ; 
While  spreads  the  airy  PARASOL 
To  shield  you  from  the  beams  of  SOL  ; 
And  many  a  FAN  and  VEIL  and  BLIND 
Protect  from  each  intrusive  wind  : — 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 


And  whilst  ye  deign  to  intervene 

Twixt  you  and  fire,  the  humble  SCREEN  !  — 

Oh  !    strive  alike  to  guard  your  hearts 

From  VICE,  and  all  her  wily  arts. 

Your  parasol  let  VIRTUE  prove, 

To  ward  th'  attacks  of  lawless  love — 

Prudence  will  prove  a  screen  to  thee, 

And  let  thy  VEIL  be  MODESTY. 

Attend  my  words,  ye  Fair,  for  know, 
This  Crown  shall  grace  the  worthiest  brow. 

ORA. 

Columbian  Centinel,  July  27,  1814. 


From  the  GAZETTE  of  the  U.  STATES. 


A. 


IMPROMPTU. 

On  feeing  a  young  Lady  darning  Stockings. 


.LONG  the  {locking's  foot,  with  eafe  and  grace 
Your  fingers,  lovely  Mira,  when  you  move, 
On  them  with  eye  admiring  I  will  gaze, 

And  drink  deep  draughts  of  all  refiftlefs  love. 

Aflume  thy  gloves,  my  moft  enchanting  fair, 
When  next  your  ftockings  you  begin  to  mend, 

For  though  full  white  the  hofe,  they  yet  appear 
As  faffron  yellow,  near  thy  lily  hand. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  75 

As  conftant  as  your  all  obedient  thread 

Does  thy  bright  needle's  devious  path  purfue, 

So  does  each  thought  of  my  poor  brainlefs  head 
For  ever  dwell,  divineft  nymph,  on  you. 

Oft  as  thy  needles  pierce  the  yielding  hofe, 
So  oft  thy  beauties  pierce  my  yielding  breaft : 

Oh  then  compaflionate  my  deep  felt  woes, 
And  bid  awhile  the  polifh'd  needle  reft. 

Or  if  one  idle  minute  you  difdain, 

On  me  be  exercifd  your  mending  art, 

Yes,  lovely  maid,  to  eafe  of  my  pain, 

Come,  darn  the  hole  that  rankles  in  my  heart. 

Salem  Gazette,  August  26,  1800. 


THE   WHITE   CLOVER. 

BY     A     LADY     OF     NEW     HAMPSHIRE. 

THERE  is  a  little  perfum'd  flower, 
It  well  might  grace  the  lovliest  bower, 
Yet  poet  never  deign'd  to  sing 
Of  such  a  humble,  rustic  thing. 
Nor  is  it  strange,  for  it  can  show 
Scarcely  one  tint  of  Iris'  bow  : 
Nature,  perchance,  in  careless  hour, 
With  pencil  dry,  might  paint  the  flower  ; 
Yet  instant  blush'd,  her  fault  to  see, 
So  gave  a  double  fragrancy  ; 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 


Rich  recompence  for  aught  denied  ! 
Who  would  not  homely  garb  abide, 
If  gentlest  soul  were  breathing  there, 
Blessings  through  all  its  little  sphere  ? 
Sweet  flower  !  the  lesson  thou  hast  taught, 
Shall  check  each  proud,  ambitious  thought, 
Teach  me  internal  worth  to  prize, 
Though  found  in  lowliest,  rudest  guise. 

Salem  Gazette,  June  27,  1815. 


CASfALIAN  FOUNT. 


AMERICAN  POETRY. 


A    FRAGMENT. 

The  following  beautiful  lines  were  written  on  the 
death  of  a  young  lady  in  Pennsylvania,  whose 
dissolution  was  occasioned  by  her  mistaking  a  poi- 
sonous mineral  for  the flower  of  sulphur,  and  swal- 
lowing a  spoonfull : 

IHUS,  o'er  the  tomb  of  what  (he  held  moft  dear, 
The  weeping  mufe  no  common  forrow  pours ; 
No  common  anguifh  prompts  the  falling  tear — 
No  common  virtues  thofe  (he  now  deplores. 


T 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  77 

Dear  haplefs  girl,  was  there  no  faving  power  ? 

Where    was    your    guardian    angel  —  where    your 

friend  ? 
Could  nought  prevent  the  fatal  deftin'd  hour  ? 

Nor  pitying  Heaven  would  hear  or  fuccour  lend. 

Then,  if  nor  Heaven  would  hear  —  nor  friends  could 
fave, 

Be  (till,  my  heart,  nor  breathe  another  figh  ; 
Drop  the  laft  tear  upon  her  early  grave, 

And  let  it  teach  you  —  that  the  bc/l  tnujl  die. 


A  few  original  favours  from  our  poetick 
friends  would  be  very  acceptable. 

Massachusetts  Centinel,  March  28,  1789. 


From  the  New  York  Daily  Advertlfer.   . 


D 


The  Sailor  Boy. 


ARK  flew  the  feud  along  the  wave, 
And  echoing  thunders  rend  the  fky  ; 
All  hands  aloft !  to  meet  the  ftorm, 
At  midnight  was  the  boatfwain's  cry. 

On  deck  flew  every  gallant  tar, 

But  one — bereft  of  ev'ry  joy  ; 
Within  a  hammock's  narrow  bound, 

Lay  ftretch'd  this  haplefs  SAILOR  BOY. 


78  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

Once,  when  the  Boatfwain  pip'd  all  hands, 
The  firft  was  he,  of  all  the  crew, 

On  deck  to  fpring — to  trim  the  fail — 
To  fteer — to  reef — to  furl  or  clue. 

Now  fell  difeafe  had  feiz'd  a  form 
Which  nature  caft  in  fineft  mould  ; 

The  midwatch  bell  now  fmote  his  heart, 
His  laft,  his  dying  knell  it  toll'd. 

"  O  God  !  "  he  cried,  and  gafp'd  for  breath, 
11  Ere  yet  my  foul  (hall  cleave  the  fkies, 

11  Are  there  no  parents — brethren — near, 
"  To  clofe,  in  death,  my  weary  eyes  ? 

"  All  hands  aloft  to  brave  the  ftorm, 
"  I  hear  the  wint'ry  tempeft  roar  ;  " 

He  rais'd  his  head  to  view  the  fcene, 
And  backward  fell,  to  rife  no  more. 

The  morning  fun  in  fplendour  rofe. 

The  gale  was  hum'd  and  ftill'd  the  wave  ; 
The  Sea-boy,  far  from  all  his  friends, 

Was  plung'd  into  a  wat'ry  grave. 

But  He,  who  guards  the  Sea-boy's  head, 
He,  who  can  fave  or  can  deftroy, 

Snatch'd  up  to  Heav'n  the  pureft  foul 
That  e'er  adorn'd  a  SAILOR  BOY. 

Salem  Gazette,  Oct.  29,  1805. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  79 


EARLY    RISING. 

WIVES,  awake  !   unveil  your  eyes  ; 
Sluggards,  no  more  yawning  ; 
See  the  Delphick  god  arise, 
Bright  Apollo  dawning. 

Husbands,  rouse  at  loves  alarms, 

Drowsy  slumbers  scorning ; 
Rovers,  quit  your  favourite  charms, 

Up!  behold,  'tis  morning. 

Virgins  fair,  have  at  your  hearts  ; 

Hymen  s  torch  is  flaming; 
Cupid  wlicts  his  pointed  darts, 

And  look!  the  rogue  is  aiming. 

Fair  tJic  bud  of  beauty  blows, 

Mellow  sweets  are  palling  ; 
Crown  us  zvith  the  virgin  rose, 

And  so  prevent  its  falling. 

See  the  charms  that  nature  yields  ; 

Why  sleep  away  your  duty  ? 
A  rise  !   the  fragra  nee  of  the  fields 

Is  friendly  to  your  beauty. 

Lads,  for  shame  !  abed  till  noiu  ! 

Forsake  them,  and  be  wiser; 
There 's  health  and  pleasure,  you  'II  allow, 

In  being  an  early  riser. 


8O  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

Bound  with  ivy,  bound  with  vines, 

Youth  serenely  passes  ; 
Bacchus  round  our  temples  twines, 

And  sparkles  in  our  glasses. 

No  longer  drown  the  mind  in  sleep  ; 

But  breathe  the  vernal  air  ! 
Our  hours  may  thus  improvement  reap, 

And  who  has  any  f  spare? 

Salem  Mercury,  May  17,  i; 


From  the  New  Monthly  Magazine. 

On  seeing   a   Tomb  adorned  with 
Angels  weeping. 

Though  sculptors,  with  mistaken  art, 
Place  weeping  Angels  round  the  tomb ; 

Yet,  when  the  good  and  great  depart, 

These  shout  to  bear  their  conquerors  home. 

Glad  they  survey  their  labours  o'er, 
And  hail  them  to  their  native  skies ; 

Attend  their  passage  to  the  shore, 
And  with  their  mounting  spirits  rise. 

Britain  may  mourn  her  Patriot  dead, 
And  pour  her  sorrows  o'er  his  dust : 

But  streaming  eyes,  and  drooping  head, 
111  suit  those  guardians  of  the  just. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  8 1 

Parents  may  shed  a  tender  tear, 

And  friends  indulge  a  parting  groan; 

If  these  in  mimic  form  appear, 

Such  pious  grief  becomes  the  stone. 

But  if  the  wounded  marble  bear 

Celestial  forms  to  grace  the  urn, 
Let  triumph  in  their  eyes  appear, 

Nor  dare  to  make  an  angel  mourn. 

Salem  Register,  1819. 


Varieties. 

Origin  of  the  word  DUN.  —  Dunny,  in  the  provincial 
dialed!  of  feveral  countries,  fignifies  deaf:  to  dun, 
then,  perhaps  may  mean,  to  deafen  with  importunate 
demands.  Some  derive  it  from  the  word  donnez, 
which  fignifies  give;  but  the  true  original  meaning 
of  the  word  owes  its  birth  to  one  Joe  Dun,  a  famous 
bailiff  of  the  town  of  Lincoln,  fo  extremely  active 
and  fo  dexterous  in  his  bufinefs,  that  it  became  a 
proverb,  when  a  man  refufed  to  pay,  "  Why  do  you 
not  dun  him  ?  "  that  is,  Why  do  not  you  fet  Dun  to 
arreft  him  ? — Hence  it  became  a  cant-word,  and  is 
now  as  old  as  fince  the  days  of  Henry  VII.  Dun 
was  alfo  the  general  name  of  hangman,  before  that  of 
Jack-ketch. 

And  prefently  a  halter  got, 
Made  of  the  beft  ftrong  hempen  tear, 
And  e'er  a  cat  could  lick  her  ear, 
6 


82  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

Had  tied  it  up  with  as  much  art, 
As  Dun  himfelf  could  do  for 's  heart. 

COTTON'S  VIRGIL  TRA.  BOOK  iv. 

It  is  curious  to  obferve  that  Dun,  who,  as  we  faid 
before,  was  finljher  of  the  law  in  the  reign  of  Henry 
VII.,  had  a  fon,  who  became  a  bailiff — This  bailiff 
having  fcraped  fome  money  together,  made  his  fon  an 
attorney,  who  changed  the  name  of  Dun  to  Dunning 

the  reft  of  the  genealogy  are  well  known. 

Massachusetts  Gazette,  Aug.  29,  1786. 


Biographical  Correctness. — As  a  specimen  of  the  ac- 
curate way  in  which  Biographical  Dictionaries  are 
made  up,  the  Enquirer  refers  to  Dr.  Watkins'  vol- 
ume, in  which  he  writes  down  that  John  Adams 
udied  in  1803." — And  yet  for  23  years  after  this 
date,  the  old  patriarch  was  living  in  health  and  happi- 
ness. A  still  more  ludicrous  blunder  appeared  a  few 
years  since  in  a  French  Biographical  Dictionary,  in 
which  it  was  stated  that  the  now  venerable  John  Jay, 
who  yet  lives  full  of  years  and  full  of  honors,  was  a 
Frenchman,  who,  after  having  framed  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  State  of  New-York,  and  witnessed  the 
close  of  the  American  revolution,  returned  to  France 
— became  a  member  of  the  French  Convention,  and 
was  finally  brought  to  the  guillotine ! — N.T.  Com.  Adv. 

Essex  Register,  Sept.  18,  1826. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  83 

The  works  of  John  Paul  Richter  are  almost  unin- 
telligible to  any  but  Germans,  and  even  to  some  of 
them.  A  worthy  German,  just  before  Richter's 
death,  edited  a  complete  edition  of  his  works,  in 
which  one  particular  passage  fairly  puzzled  him. 
Determined  to  have  it  explained  at  the  source,  he 
went  to  John  Paul  himself  and  asked  him  what  was 
the  meaning  of  the  mysterious  passage. — John  Paul's 
reply  was  very  German  and  characteristic :  "  My 
good  friend,"  said  he,  "  when  I  wrote  that  passage, 
God  and  I  knew  what  it  meant ;  it  is  possible  that 
God  knows  it  still ;  but  as  for  me,  I  have  totally 

forgotten." 

Essex  Register,  Oct.  9,  1826. 


ORIGIN  OF  "FOOLSCAP"  PAPER.  It  is  known 
that  Charles  I.  of  England,  granted  numerous  mo- 
nopolies for  the  support  of  his  government.  Among 
others  was  the  privilege  of  manufacturing  paper. 
The  water  mark  of  the  finest  sort  was  the  royal  arms 
of  England.  The  consumption  of  this  article  was 
great  at  this  time,  and  large  fortunes  were  made  by 
those  who  had  purchased  the  exclusive  right  to  vend 
it.  This,  among  other  monopolies,  was  set  aside  by 
the  parliament  that  brought  Charles  to  the  scaffold, 
and  by  way  of  showing  their  contempt  for  the  king, 
they  ordered  the  royal  arms  to  be  taken  from  the 
paper,  and  a  fool,  with  his  cap  and  bells,  to  be 
substituted.  It  is  now  more  than  an  hundred  and 


84  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

seventy-five  years  since  the  fool's  cap  and  bells  were 
taken  from  the  paper,  but  still,  paper  of  the  size 
which  the  Rump  Parliament  ordered  for  the  journals 
bears  the  name  of  the  water  mark  then  ordered  as  an 
indignity  to  Charles. 


A  new  version  of  "Yankee  Doodle,"  from 
the  "Salem  Gazette,"  July,  1811. 

YANKEY   SONG. 

[  The  following  song  was  composed  a  few  years  since 
by  a  gentleman  then  one  of  the  officers  of  the  Salem 
regiment,  to  be  sung  at  the  military  celebration  of 
the  <\th  of  July.  Its  wit  and  pleasantry  continues  it 
a  favorite  with  the  Yankics,  and  it  was  again  sung 
by  the  Military  at  Lynn  Hotel,  and  by  the  Federal- 
ists at  Washington  Hall,  on  the  late  anniversary. .] 

I. 

YANKEY  DOODLE  is  the  tune 
Americans  delight  in  ; 
'Twill  do  to  whittle,  fmg,  or  play, 
And  juft  the  thing  for  fighting. 

CHORUS. 

Tankey  Doodle,  Boys ;  Huzza  ! 

Down  outfide — up  the  middle — 
Tankey  Doodle,  fa,  fol,  la, 

Trumpet,  Drum,  and  Fiddle. 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  85 

II. 
Should  Great  Britain,  Spain,  or  France 

Wage  war  upon  our  (bore,  fir, 
We'll  lead  them  fuch  a  woundy  dance, 

They'll  find  their  toes  are  fore,  fir. 
CHORUS. —  Yankey  Doodle,  &c. 

III. 

Should  a  haughty  foe  expect 

To  give  our  boys  a  caning, 
We  guefs  they'll  find  our  boys  have  larnt 

A  little  bit  of  training. 
CHORUS. —  Yankey  Doodle,  &c. 

IV. 

I'll  wager  now  a  mug  of  flip, 

And  bring  it  on  the  table, 
Put  Yankey  boys  aboard  a  fhip, 

To  beat  them  they  are  able. 
CHORUS. — Yankey  Doodle,  &c. 

V. 

Then  if  they  go  to  argufy, 

I  rather  guefs  they  '11  find,  too, 
We've  got  a  fet  of  tonguey  blades, 

T'out  talk  'em,  if  they  're  mind  to. 
CHORUS. — Yankey  Doodle,  &c. 

VI. 

America 's  a  dandy  place  ; 
The  people  are  all  brothers  ; 


86  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

And  when  one 's  got  a  pumpkin  pye, 

He  (hares  it  with  the  others. 
CHORUS. —  Tankey  Doodle,  &c. 

VII. 

We  work,  and  fleep,  and  pray,  in  peace- 
By  induftry  we  thrive,  fir ; 

And  if  a  drone  won't  do  his  part, 
We'll  fcout  him  from  the  hive,  fir. 

CHORUS. —  Yankey  Doodle,  &c. 

VIII. 
And  then,  on  Independent  Day, 

(And  who 's  a  better  right  to  ?) 
We  eat  and  drink,  and  fing  and  play, 

And  have  a  dance  at  night,  too. 
CHORUS. — Tankey  Doodle,  &c. 

IX. 

Our  girls  are  fair,  our  boys  are  tough, 
Our  old  folks  wife  and  healthy  ; 

And  when  we've  every  thing  we  want, 
We  count  that  we  are  wealthy. 

CHORUS. — Tankey  Doodle,  &c. 

X. 

We're  happy,  free,  and  well  to  do, 
And  cannot  want  for  knowledge ; 

For,  almoft  ev'ry  mile  or  two, 
You  find  zfchool  or  college. 

CHORUS. — Tankey  Doodle,  &c. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  87 

XI. 

The  land  we  till  is  all  our  own  ; 

Whate'er  the  price,  we  paid  it  ; 
Therefore  we'll  fight  //'//  all  is  blue, 

Should  any  dare  invade  it. 
CHORUS. —  Yankey  Doodle,  &c. 

XII. 

Since  we  're  fo  blefs'd,  let 's  eat  and  drink 
With  thankfulnefs  and  gladnefs  : 

Should  we  kick  o'er  our  cup  of  joy, 
It  would  befartin  madnefs. 

CHORUS. 

Yankey  Doodle,  Boys ;  Huzza  ! 

Down  outfede,  up  the  middle — 
Yankey  Doodle,  fa,  fol,  la, 

Trumpet,  Drum,  and  Fiddle. 


"  Going  snacks." 

At  the  time  of  the  plague  in  London,  a  noted  body 
searcher  lived  whose  name  was  Snacks.  His  business 
increased  so  fast  that,  finding  he  could  not  compass 
it,  he  offered  to  any  person  who  should  join  him  in 
his  hardened  practice  half  the  profits  ;  thus,  those 
who  joined  him  were  said  to  go  with  Snacks.  Hence 
going  snacks,  or  dividing  the  spoil. 

Salem  Observer,  1823. 


88  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

A  Word  emitted  by  Webster.  In  a  history  of  the 
second  parish  of  Beverly,  published  not  long  since,  a 
vote  passed  in  1776,  to  take  measures  to  collect  the 
"  behindments "  of  .certain  persons  in  the  parish,  is 
noticed.  "  Behindments"  meant  arrearages. 

Salem  Observer,  1837. 


The  following  curious  collection  belonged 
to  Mr.  Samuel  Mclntire,  the  architect  of  the 
South  Meeting-House  in  Salem,  whose  spire 
is  acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the  best  propor- 
tioned and  handsomest  in  New  England  : 

FOR   SALE, 

SUNDRY   Articles    belonging   to   the    Estate   of 
SAMUEL  MC!NTIRE,  deceased. — VIZ. 
i  elegant  BARREL  ORGAN,  6  feet  high,  10  bar- 
rels ;    I  Wind  Chest  of  an  Organ  ; 
ENCYCLOPEDIA  BRITANNICA,  complete; 
Paladio's  Architecture,  best  kind  ; 

1  Ware's  do.  ;    I  Paine's  do. 

2  vols.  French  Architecture  ; 

i  large  Book  Antient  Statues,  excellent ; 

Lock  Hospital  Collection  of  Music  ; 

Handel's  Messiah,  in  score  ; 

Harmonia  Sacra  ; 

Magdalen  Hymns  ;   Massachusetts  Compiler  ; 

i  excellent  toned  SPINNET  ; 

I  excellent  VIOLIN  and  Case  ; 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  89 

I  eight  day  CLOCK,  Mahogany  Case ; 
12  Prints  of  the  Seasons; 
I  book  Drawings  of  Ships  ; 

1  large  Head  of  Washington  ; 
Number  of  Busts  of  the  Poets  ; 

2  Figures  of  Hercules,  2  feet  high  ; 

I  Head  of  Franklin,  and  Pillar,  for  a  Sign  ; 
Composition  Ornaments ; 

Number  of  Moulding  Planes,  and  sundry  other  Ar- 
ticles.         Apply  to 

ELIZABETH    M'INTIRE,  Adnfx. 
or  to  SAMUEL   F.    M'INTIRE,  Atfy. 

N.  B.— The  Subscriber  carries  on  CARVING  as 
usual  at  the  Shop  of  the  deceased,  in  Summer-Street, 
where  he  will  be  glad  to  receive  orders  in  that  line. 
He  returns  thanks  for  past  favors. 

April  30  [1811].         SAMUEL  F.  M'INTIRE. 


Many  years  ago  there  was  published  in 
Boston  a  small  volume  entitled  "  Eliza 
Wharton,  the  Coquette.  By  a  Lady  of 
Massachusetts."  It  consisted  of  a  series  of 
letters  said  to  be  founded  on  fact.  A  young 
woman  died  at  the  Bell  Tavern  in  Danvers 
in  1788,  whose  gravestone  a  few  years  ago 
might  be  seen  in  the  old  Danvers  (now  Pea- 


90  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

body)  burial-ground.  We  copy  from  the 
"Sajem  Mercury"  of  July  29,  1788,  the 
following  account :  — 

Laft  Friday,  a  female  ftranger  died  at  the  Bell 
Tavern,  in  Danvers ;  and  on  Sunday  her  remains 
were  decently  interred.  The  circumftances  relative 
to  this  woman  are  fuch  as  excite  curiofity  and  inter- 
eft  our  feelings.  She  was  brought  to  the  Bell  in  a 
chaife,  from  Watertown,  as  fhe  faid,  by  a  young  man 
whom  fhe  had  engaged  for  that  purpofe.  After  fhe 
had  alighted,  and  taken  a  trunk  with  her  into  the 
houfe,  the  chaife  immediately  drove  off.  She  re- 
mained at  this  inn  till  her  death,  in  expectation  of 
the  arrival  of  her  hufband,  whom  fhe  expected  to 
come  for  her,  and  appeared  anxious  at  his  delay.  She 
was  averfe  to  being  interrogated  concerning  herfelf  or 
connexions ;  and  kept  much  retired  to  her  chamber, 
employed  in  needle-work,  writing,  &c.  She  faid, 
however,  that  fhe  came  from  Weftfield,  in  Connecti- 
cut ;  that  her  parents  lived  in  that  State  ;  that  fhe 
had  been  married  only  a  few  months ;  and,  that  her 
hufband's  name  was  Thomas  Walker; — but  always 
carefully  concealed  her  family  name.  Her  linen  was 
all  marked  E.  W.  About  a  fortnight  before  her 
death,  fhe  was  brought  to  bed  of  a  lifelefs  child. 
When  thofe  who  attended  her  apprehended  her  fate, 
they  alked  her,  whether  fhe  did  not  wifh  to  fee  her 
friends :  She  anfwered,  that  fhe  was  very  defirous  of 
feeing  them.  It  was  propofed  that  fhe  fhould  fend 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  9! 

for  them  ;  to  which  flie  objected,  hoping  in  a  (hort 
time  to  be  able  to  go  to  them.  From  what  (he  faid, 
and  from  other  circumftances,  it  appeared  probable  to 
thofe  who  attended  her,  that  (he  belonged  to  fome 
country  town  in  Connecticut :  Her  converfation, 
her  writings  and  her  manners,  befpoke  the  advan- 
tage of  a  refpe&able  family  &  good  education.  Her 
perfon  was  agreeable  ;  her  deportment,  amiable  &  en- 
gaging ;  and,  though  in  a  (late  of  anxiety  and  fufpenfe, 
(he  preferved  a  cheerfulnefs,  which  feemed  to  be  not 
the  effect  of  infenfibility,  but  of  a  firm  and  patient 
temper.  She  was  fuppofed  to  be  about  35  years  old. 
Copies  of  letters,  of  her  writing,  dated  at  Hartford, 
Springfield,  and  other  places,  were  left  among  her 

things. This  account   is  given   by  the   family  in 

which  ihe  refided  ;  and  it  is  hoped  the  publication  of 
it  will  be  a  means  of  her  friends'  afcertaining  her 
fate. 

Elizabeth  Whitman  was  the  real  name  of 
the  stranger,  and  the  following  was  the  inscrip- 
tion on  the  stone  :  — 

"This  humble  ftone,  in  Memory  of  Elizabeth  Whit- 
man, is  infcribed  by  her  weeping  friends,  to  whom  she 
endeared  herfelf  by  uncommon  tendernefs  and  affec- 
tion. Endowed  with  fuperior  genius  and  acquire- 
ments, ftie  was  ftill  more  endeared  by  humility  and 
benevolence.  Let  candour  throw  a  veil  over  her 
frailities,  for  great  was  her  charity  to  others.  —  She 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 


fuftained  the  laft  painful  fcene  far  from  every  friend, 
and  exhibited  an  example  of  calm  refignation.  Her 
departure  was  on  the  25th  of  July,  A.D.  1788,  in  the 
3/th  year  of  her  age,  and  the  tears  of  ftrangers 
watered  her  grave." 

Although  we  recollect  seeing  the  stone  some 
years  ago,  when  the  whole  inscription  could 
be  read,  we  visited  the  spot  in  April,  1885,  and 
found  only  a  small  portion  left,  —  a  triangular 
piece,  perhaps  a  foot  and  a  half  high  on  one 
side,  at  the  bottom  of  which  we  could  only 
make  out:  "A.D.  1788,  .  .  .  the  tears  of 
strangers  watered  her  grave."  For  years, 
young  persons  of  a  romantic  turn  of  mind 
have  visited  the  grave  and  chipped  off  small 
pieces  of  the  freestone  for  relics.  This  mod- 
ern habit  of  chipping  monumental  stones  for 
relics  is  inexcusable  ;  for  it  is  not  done  by  igno- 
rant or  otherwise  lawless  persons,  but  too  often 
by  the  educated,  who  carry  their  mawkish  sen- 
timent to  such  an  extreme  as  to  deface  and 
sometimes,  as  in  the  present  case,  entirely  to 
ruin  a  monument.  It  is  in  vain  to  urge  that 
this  was  only  a  stranger's  stone,  and  that  there 
were  none  to  care.  It  was  all  the  more  an 
outrage,  if  there  were  no  friends  to  protect  it. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  93 

We  are  glad  to  learn  that  there  were  people  in 
the  town  who  did  what  they  could  to  prevent 
this  sacrilege. 

The  following  account  of  this  unfortunate 
lady  we  take  from  Hanson's  "  History  of 
Danvers :  "  — 

"  Elizabeth  Whitman  came  from  a  very  respectable 
family  in  Connecticut,  where  her  father  was  a  clergy- 
man. She  was  possessed  of  an  ardent  poetical  tem- 
perament, an  inordinate  love  of  praise,  and  was  gifted 
with  the  natural  endowment  of  beauty  and  perfect 
grace,  while  she  was  accomplished  with  those  refine- 
ments which  education  can  bestow.  She  was  lovely 
beyond  words.  But  her  natural  amiabilities  were 
warped  and  perverted  by  reading  great  numbers  of 
romances,  to  the  exclusion  of  almost  all  other  reading. 
She  formed  her  idea  of  men  by  the  exaggerated  stan- 
dards she  saw  in  the  books  to  which  she  resorted  ; 
and  thus  when  she  looked  around  her  she  saw  no  one 
who  realized  her  ideal.  She  subsequently  became 
intimate  with  a  lawyer,  said  to  be  the  Honourable  (?) 
Judge  Pierpont  Edwards." 

We  next  hear  of  her  in  Danvers,  "  where 
the  novelty  of  her  situation,"  continues  Han- 
son, "and  her  attractive  beauty  and  man- 
ners during  her  short  sojourn,  caused  the 


94 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES. 


entire  village  and  many  from  the  neighboring 
towns  to  attend  her"  funeral.  A  few  weeks 
after  her  burial,  an  unknown  hand  erected  the 
gravestone  with  its  eloquent  inscription."  The 
stone  is  evidently  Connecticut  sandstone  or 
freestone.  Mr.  Hanson  says  of  the  volume 
"Eliza  Wharton " :  "The  catchpenny  vol- 
ume of  letters  which  pretend  to  give  her  his- 
tory has  but  the  figments  of  the  imagination 
of  its  authoress  to  recommend  it." 


Picture  of  the  old  Bell  Tavern  in  Danvers. 
From  the  "Salem  Gazette,"  January,  1781. 

Danvers,  Jan.  1781. 

Juft  publifhed, 

And    to    be    SOLD    by 

E.    RUSSELL, 

at  his  Printing-Office, 

near  the  Bell-Tavern  ; 

The   Second   Edition    of 
Ru/ell's  American   ALMANACK, 
For  the  Year  of  our  Redemption,  1781. 

Being  Firft  after  Leap  Year  ;  and  Fifth  Year  of  Inde- 
pendency.    Fitted  for  the  Meridian  of  Bofton,  N. 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  95 

E.  Lat.  42 :  25  N.     Wherein  may  be  found  all 
Things  neceflary  for  this  Work. 

To  which  is  added,  a  Declaration  of  the  Rights  of  the 
Inhabitants  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Maflachufetts, 
extracted  from  the  Frame  of  Government ;  and  a 
Lift  of  the  Chief  Officers  of  Government,  which  is 
thought  neceflary  to  be  poflefled  by  every  Freeman 
in  this  Commonwealth. 

Calculated  by  that  curious  and  accurate  Aftronomer, 
BENJAMIN  WEST,  Efq;  of  Providence, 
State  of  Rhode-Ifland. 

At  the  fame  Place  may  alfo  be  had,juji  publijhedy 
The  Remarkable  Captivity  and    Redemption  of 

ELIZABETH   HANSON, 

Wife  of  Mr.  John  Hanfon  of  Knoxmarjh  at  Kecheachy, 
in  Dover  Townfliip,  who  was  taken  Captive  with 
her  Children  and  Maid-Servant,  by  the  Indians  in 
New-England,  in  the  Year  1724. 

IN    WHICH    ARE    INSERTED 

undry  remarkable  Prefervations,  Providences,  and 
Marks  of  Care  and  Kindnefs  of  Providence  over 
her  and  her  Children,  worthy  to  be  remembered. 

The  Subflance  of  which  was  taken  from  her  own  Mouth, 
and  now  publijhed  for  general  Service. 

THE  THIRD  EDITION, 


96  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

Alfo,  an  entertaining  Narrative  of  the  cruel  and  bar- 
barous Treatment  and  extreme  Sufferings  of 

Mr.     JOHN     DODGE, 

During  his   Captivity   of  many   Months  among  the 
Britijh,    at    Detroit. 

IN    WHICH    IS    ALSO    CONTAINED, 

A  particular  Detail  of  the  Sufferings  of  a  Virginian, 
who  died  in  their  Hands. 

Written  by  bimfelf;  and  now  publi/hed  to  fatisfy  the  Curi- 
ofity  of  every  one  throughout  the  United  States. 

THE  SECOND  EDITION. 

*£*  All  the  above  Books,  with  a  Variety  of  other 
fmall  Books,  &c.  will  be  fold  to  Shop  keepers,  Tra- 
velling-Traders, &c.  at  the  very  loweft  Rate,  if  they 
purchafe  by  the  Hundred,  Groce  or  Dozen. 


In  these  sceptical  and  agnostic  days  it- 
may  sound  a  little  strange,  and  perhaps  to 
some  seem  quite  absurd,  that  the  authorities 
of  Harvard  in  1791  felt  obliged  publicly 
to  deny  that  Gibbon's  History  was  used  as 
a  text-book  at  the  University.  But  with 
the  exception  perhaps  of  Tom  Paine,  no 
one  in  this  country  had  then  ventured  to  as- 
sail the  literal  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  97 

Probably  the  masses  of  the  people  then  believed 
that  "Joshua  commanded  the  sun  and  moon  to 
stand  still,  and  they  obeyed  him,"  that  Jonah 
was  swallowed  by  the  whale,  and  that 

"  In  Adam's  fall, 
We  sinned  all." 

Of  course  there  were  exceptions.  Therefore, 
although  Gibbon  might  be  an  able  writer,  it 
was  not  safe  for  young  men  to  study  his  works, 
simply  because  he  had  thrown  doubt  or  deri- 
sion on  the  Christian  miracles.  So  when  it  was 
reported  that  a  growing  liberality  of  sentiment 
was  being  manifested  at  Cambridge,  and  that 
Gibbon's  "  Decline  and  Fall  "  was  to  be  used, 
doubtless  no  little  excitement  was  roused  ;  and 
hence  the  notice.  Before  this  time  doubts  con- 
cerning many  cherished  doctrines  had  been 
'openly  expressed  in  Boston,  Cambridge,  Salem, 
and  other  places ;  but  Gibbon  had  rejected  and 
attacked  the  whole  Christian  system  as  false, 
which  was  a  very  different  matter. 

For  the    CENTINEL. 


MR.  RUSSELL, 

A  WRITER  in  the  CENTINEL  of  the  laft  Sat- 
•*••*•  urday,  under  the  fignature  of  Cbrijlianus,  fays, 
"that  an  abridgment  of  GIBBON'S  hiftory  (if  his  in- 

7 


98  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

formation  be  true)  is  dire&ed  to  make  a  part  of  the 
ftudies  of  the  young  gentlemen  at  our  Univerfity." 
I  now  beg  leave,  through  the  channel  of  your  paper, 
to  acquaint  that  writer,  as  alfo  the  publick,  that  his 
information  is  not  true.  The  fyftem  taught  is  MIL- 
LOT'S  Elements  of  General  Hiftory,  ancient  and  modern, 
and  GIBBON'S  hiftory  was  never  thought  of  for  the 
purpofe. 

JOSEPH  WILLARD,  Prefident. 

Cambridge,  Nov.  14,  1/91. 


THE  CHOLERA. — It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the 
word  occurs  in  two  passages  of  the  Bible,  both  in 
Ecclesiasticus,  and  both  places  in  connexion  with 
directions  and  exhortations  to  a  sober  temperate  mode 
of  living,  which  is  still  recommended  as  the  best  pre- 
servative against  this  disorder. 

Salem  Observer,  1832. 


The  character  of  Boston  ladies  in  1788  is 
set  forth  in  a  letter  in  the  "  Herald  of  Free- 
dom." The  writer  gives  his  observations  on 
the  error  of  committing  children  too  much 
to  the  care  of  nurses  ;  also  makes  reference 
to  teaching  the  catechism,  etc.,  showing  the 
value  of  early  religious  training.  There  can 
be  no  doubt,  we  think,  that  the  old  methods 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  99 

were  in  some  respects  superior  to  the  present, 
where  in  many  cases  young  children  are  left 
to  Sunday-school  teachers,  or,  as  is  often  the4 
case,  receive  no  religious  instruction  whatever, 
for  fear,  as  we  have  often  heard  it  stated,  that 
they  might  imbibe  some  false  doctrinal  notions 
at  an  age  when  the  deepest  impressions  are 
made. 

For  the  H  E  R  A  L  D  of  F  R  E  E  D  O  M. 

LETTER   IX. 
DEAR   PIERRE, 

NO  moments    glide    away    more    agreeably    than 
thofe  that  are  employed  in  writing  to  a  friend. 
Happy  am  I  in  having  frequent  opportunities  of  ex- 
hibiting my  fentiments  to  you,  and  in  return  receiving 
yours,  which  palliates  in  fome  degree,  the  forrow  our 

reparation    occafions. The   glaring    abfurdities    of 

the  drefs  of  the  Bofton  ladies,  occupied  the  greateft 
part  of  my  two  laft  letters.  It  is  but  juft  to  fay  fome- 
thing  of  their  more  laudable  qualities  j  amongft  which, 
maternal  affedtion  defervedly  claims  precedence. — 
The  barbarous  cuftoms  of  Europe,  in  this  particular, 
have  not  as  yet,  and  I  hope  never  will  be,  practifed 
here.  Mothers  in  this  country  are  fo  much  attached 
to  their  tender  offspring,  as  to  forego  all  the  pleafures 
of  life  (or  rather  what  are  fo  termed  in  Europe)  in 
attending  to  their  nurture,  from  which  they  derive 


IOO  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

the  moft  fuperlative  of  all  enjoyments,  the  heart-felt 
fatisfa&ion  of  having  done  their  duty  to  their  God 
ipnd  country,  in  giving  robuft,  healthy  and  virtuous 
citizens  to  the  State.  The  effeminacy  of  exotic  fafh- 
ion  has  not  at  prefent  extended  its  pernicious  influence 
fo  far  as  to  induce  them  to  commit  the  rearing  of  their 
children  to  mercenary  nurfes,  who  are  fometimes  the 
very  dregs  of  a  people  ;  and  whofe  vicious  habits  of 
taking  a  drop  of  the  good  creature  to  drown  forrow,  does 
not  promife  redundancy  of  health  and  vigour  to  thofe 
fuckled  by  them — on  the  contrary,  children  thus  un- 
naturally thrown  from  the  arms  of  a  parent  into  thofe 
of  a  nurfe,  are,  almoft  without  exception,  weak  and 
puny;  of  irrafcible  tempers  and  vicious  inclinations. — 
Nor  does  the  attention  of  the  ladies  expire  with  the 
infancy  of  their  children — they  ftill  are  unwearied  in 
inftru&ing  them  as  they  increafe  in  years,  and  aflid- 
uoufly  endeavour  to  inculcate  principles  of  virtue  into 
their  young  minds  at  a  time  when  they  are  moft  liable 
to  make  a  deep  impreflion — to  accomplifh  which, 
they  never  fail  to  teach  them  the  catechifm,  Lord's 
prayer,  &c.  &c.  all  of  which  they  oblige  them  to  learn, 
becaufe  they  are  perfectly  adapted  to  their  compre- 
henfion,  though  many  parts  of  the  catechifm  are  alto- 
gether incomprehenfible  to  moft  adults. — Yet  this  is 
not  ftrange  to  thofe  who  credit  the  fcriptures ;  nor 
does  it  appear  the  leaft  inconfiftent — for  there  it  fays, 
"  God  hath  chofen  the  foolifh  things  of  this  world 
to  confound  the  wife." — Therefore,  the  wonder  that 
children  fhould  be  able  to  under/land  that,  which  is 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  IOI 

the  foundation  of  all  polemical  divinity,  vanifties, 
when  we  try  it  by  the  touchftone  of  fcripture,  which 
is  the  criterion  by  which  we  ought  to  judge. — When 
they  are  thus  inftrucled  in  the  rudiments  of  virtue, 
they  are  feldom  known  to  apoftatize ;  fo  that  for  a 
native  to  become  diflolute  and  abandoned,  is  very  rare. 
—Indeed  they  have  characters  of  this  kind  who  emi- 
grate from  old  countries  ;  but  they  foon  find  employ- 
ment for  fuch  gentry,  by  obliging  them  to  labour  for 
the  publick  good,  and  "  work  out  their  falvation  by 
the  fweat  of  their  brow."--Thus  the  community  is 
not  only  delivered  from  fuch  pefts,  but  experience 
beneficial  effects  from  their  confinement.  Knavery, 
though  rarely  found  in  a  native,  is  not  entirely  extir- 
pated from  the  breafts  of  fome  among  them. 


Remarkable  instances  of  longevity. 

LONGEVITY.  Mafeus,  who  wrote  the  history  of 
the  Indies,  which  has  always  been  a  model  of  vera- 
city as  well  as  elegant  composition,  mentions  a  native 
of  Bengal,  named  Numas  de  Cugna,  who  died  1566, 
at  the  age  of  370.  He  was  a  man  of  great  simplicity 
and  quite  illiterate  ;  but  of  so  extensive  a  memory, 
that  he  was  a  kind  of  living  chronicle,  relating  dis- 
tinctly and  exactly  what  had  happened  within  his 
knowledge  in  the  compass  of  his  life,  together  with 
all  the  circumstances  attending  it.  He  had  four  new 
sets  of  teeth  ;  and  the  color  of  his  hair  and  beard  had 


IO2  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

been  very  frequently  changed  from  black  to  grey,  and 
from  grey  to  black.  He  asserted  that  in  the  course 
of  his  life,  he  had  700  wives,  some  of  whom  had  died, 
and  the  others  he  had  put  away.  The  first  century 
of  his  life  passed  in  idolatry,  from  which  he  was  con- 
verted to  Mahometanism,  which  he  continued  to  pro- 
fess to  his  death. — The  account  is  also  confirmed  by 
another  Portuguese  author,  Ferdinand  Lopez  Caste- 
guedo,  who  was  historiographer  royal. 

Salem  Observer,  Feb.  22,  1834. 


LONDON,     May   28. 

Remarkable  Inftances  of  Longevity  in  Europe. 
'-pHOMAS  PARRE,  of  Shropfhire,  died  on  the 
-*-        i6th  of  November,  1635,  aged  152. 

James  Bowes,  of  Killinworth,  in  Shropfhire^  died 
the  ifth  of  Auguft,  1656,  aged  152. 

Anonymous,  of  Yorkfhire,  aged  140,  and  his  fon, 
aged  100,  were  both  living,  and  attended  to  give  evi- 
dence at  York  Aflize,  in  1664. 

F.  Sagar,  of  Lancafhire,  died  in  January,  1668, 
aged  112. 

Henry  Jenkins,  of  Yorkfhire,  died  on  the  8th  of 
December,  1670,  aged  169. 

Robert  Montgomery,  of  Yorkfhire,  was  living  in 
1670,  aged  126. 

Countefs  of  Defmond,  Ireland,  aged  140. 

Mr.  Eclefton,  of  Ireland,  died  1691,  aged  143. 

Mr.  Lawrence,  of  Scotland,  living,  aged  140. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  103 

Mary  Gore,  born  at  Collinworth,  in  Yorkfhire, 
lived  100  years  in  Ireland,  and  died  at  Dublin  in 
1727,  aged  125. 

Mr.  Ellis,  of  Surrey,  died  about  1748,  aged  137. 

Simon  Sack,  of  Trionia,  died  on  the  3Oth  of  May, 
1761,  aged  141. 

Col.  Thomas  Winfloe,  of  Ireland,  died  on  the  I2th 
of  Auguft,  1766,  aged  156. 

Francis  Confift,  of  Yorkfhire,  died  in  January, 
1768,  aged  150. 

Francis  Bons,  of  France,  died  on  the  6th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1769,  aged  124. 

Chriftopher  Jacob  Drakenberg,  of  Norway,  a  boat- 
fwain  in  the  Danifli  navy,  died  on  the  24th  of  June, 
1770,  aged  146. 

Margaret  Forfter,  of  Cumberland,  aged  136. 

Gen.  Oglethorpe  died  in  Auguft  laft,  aged  103. 

A  goldfmith,  of  France,  died  in  June,  1776,  aged 
140. 

Mary  Yates,  of  Shropftiire,  died  in  1776,  aged  128. 

John  Brookley,  of  Devonfliire,  living  in  1777,  aged 

'34- 

Mifs  Ellis,  daughter  of  Mr.  Ellis,  of  Surrey,  died  in 
1781,  aged  104. 

Mr.  Froome,  of  Holms-Chapel,  in  Cheftiire,  died 
in  May  laft,  aged  125. 

Mary  M'Donald,  county  of  Down,  in  Ireland,  died 
on  the  i6th  of  June  laft,  aged  118. 

Mary  Cameron,  of  Invernefsfhire,  in  Scotland,  died 
in  July  laft,  aged  130. 


IO4  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

Mifs  Ellis,  of  Richmond,  in  Surrey,  living  on  the 
l6th  of  Auguft  laft,  aged  105. 

Mr.  Rowe,  at  Nutwell-Houfe,  in  Scotland,  died  in 
Auguft  laft,  aged  106. 

Donald  M'Keen,  of  Argylefhire,  in  Scotland,  died 
in  September  laft,  aged  109. 

John  Button,  of  Liverpool,  died  on  the  i8th  of 
November  laft,  the  oldeft  burgefs  of  that  borough 
upon  record  ;  he  lived  in  fix  reigns,  being  born  in  the 
reign  of  James  II. 

Mr.  Smith,  a  farmer,  at  Dolver,  in  Montgomery- 
fhire,  died  in  November  laft,  aged  103 :  He  was 
never  known  to  drink  any  thing  but  buttermilk. 

John  Follart,  woolcomber,  at  Norney,  near  the 
city  of  Exeter,  living  and  in  good  health  on  the  3Oth 
of  November  laft,  aged  121  ;  he  works  ftill  at  his 
bufmefs,  and  retains  his  faculties. 

Massachusetts  Gazette,  Sept.  I,  1786. 


PHILADELPHIA,  Auguft  19. 

Inftances  of  Longevity  in  America. 

In  South- America  there  was  faid,  in  the  year  1785, 
to  be  a  negro  woman  living,  aged  about  175  ;  flie  re- 
membered her  firft  mafter,  who  died  in  1615,  and  that 
he  gave  her  away  with  fome  other  property  towards 
founding  a  fchool. 

Some  years  ago  there  was  living  in  Virginia,  a  native 
of  Ireland,  who  at  the  age  of  109,  was  able  to  work 
at  the  taylor's  trade  without  fpe&acles ;  and  what 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  105 

renders  this  cafe  more  remarkable,  he  was  naturally- 
very  intemperate,  and  would  get  drunk  as  often  as  he 
could  get  liquor. 

In  the  year  1776,  died  one  Mr.  Payne,  in  Fairfax, 
Virginia,  upwards  of  100  years  of  age. 

Died,  November,  1/82,  in  this  city,  Mr.  Edward 
Drinker,  almoft  102,  being  born  December  24,  1680, 
in  Philadelphia. 

In  the  year  1782,  there  was  living,  near  this  city 
(and  perhaps  may  be  ftill  living)  a  healthy  negro 
woman,  able  to  walk  feveral  miles  in  a  day,  and  wafh 
clothes,  who  was  then,  as  near  as  fhe  could  tell, 

about  103. She  remembers  her  being  brought  to 

this  city  before  any  houfes  were  built  here. 

Died  laft  fummer,  in  New-York,  Mrs.  Slock,  aged 
108  years  and  one  half. 

Laft  winter  died  at  Jones's  creek,  a  branch  of  Pee 
Dee,  in  North-Carolina,  Mr.  Mathew  Bayley,  aged 
136:  he  was  baptifed  when  134  years  old;  had  good 
eye  fight,  ftrength  of  body  and  mind  until  his  death. 

There  was  a  woman  living  laft  winter,  in  Uxbridge, 
ftate  of  Maflachufetts,  of  the  name  of  Aldrich,  and 
likely  to  live  many  years,  who  has  12  children,  all 
living,  and  has  lived  till  25  of  the  fifth  generation  are 
born,  the  eldeft  of  which  is  more  than  eleven  years 
of  age. 

Died  on  Tuefday  the  ift  inft.  at  Hudfon,  in  New- 
York,  Mrs.  Chriftina  de  Lametter,  in  the  94th  year  of 
her  age.  She  died  merely  of  old  age,  without  any  kind 
of  difeafe  or  fever  ;  but  defcended  very  flowly  and 


IO6  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

patiently  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill  of  life.  She  was  a 
woman,  who,  through  life,  has  been  remarkable  for 
her  filent  refignation  to  the  divine  will.  What  ren- 
ders the  laft  part  of  her  life  remarkable,  is,  that  ftie 
lived  39  days  without  any  fuftenance  whatever,  except 
about  two  fpoonfuls  of  wine  with  water  daily  ;  the 
vital  motions  and  functions  being  fo  near  a  ceflation, 
that  the  folids  needed  no  reparation :  yet  fhe  retained 
all  her  fenfes  to  the  laft  moment. 

In  the  year   1774,  died  at  Danvers,  in  MafTachu- 

fetts,  Mr. Nelfon,  aged  106  years. 

Massachusetts  Gazette,  Sept.  i,  1786. 


STOCKHOLM,  Aug.  8. 
A  widow   lately   died  near  Landfcrone,  aged   118 
years.     She  continued  to  get  a  livelihood  by  fpinning 

till  fhe  was  116. 

Salem  Mercury,  Nov.  25,  1786. 


DINNER   IN    "OLD   TIMES." 

It  was  an  old  custom  in  New  England  to 
begin  dinner  with  pudding  instead  of  soup. 
Many  persons  of  the  last  generation  may 
remember,  as  the  writer  distinctly  does,  seeing 
old  people  who  still  adhered  to  this  practice 
as  late  certainly  as  from  1850  to  1860.  The 
writer  was  once  at  a  dinner  where  all  the  fam- 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 


ily  began  with  soup  except  the  father,  a  gen- 
tleman of  the  old  school,  who  had  a  piece  cut 
from  a  fresh-baked  plum-pudding.  He  re- 
marked to  the  company  that  such  had  always 
been  his  practice  ;  and  so  he  excused  himself  for. 
keeping  to  his  own  fashion  of  dining.  The  cus- 
tom of  eating  pudding  before  meat  is  still  very 
common  in  Yorkshire,  England.  The  following 
extract  from  a  Boston  paper  of  1819  shows  that 
John  Adams,  in  1817,  kept  up  the  old  style  of 
dinner,  which,  as  might  perhaps  be  imagined,  was 
not  confined  to  the  common  people,  so  called. 
In  "old  times"  it  was  customary  to  say  to 
children,  "Those  who  eat  the  most  pudding 
shall  have  the  most  meat." 

Extract  from  the  "  Narrative  of  a  Journey  of  5000 
miles  through  the  Eastern  and  Western  States  of 
America"  in  1817.  —  By  Henry  B.  Fcaron,  an  Eng- 
lishman. 

PRESIDENT   ADAMS. 

The  ex-president  is  a  handsome  old  gentleman  of 
eighty-four  ;  his  lady  is  seventy-six  :  she  has  the 
reputation  of  superior  talents,  and  great  literary  ac- 
quirements. I  was  not  perfectly  a  stranger  here,  as 
a  few  days  previous  to  this  I  had  received  the  honor 
of  an  hospitable  reception  at  their  mansion.  Upon 
the  present  occasion  the  minister  (the  day  being  Sun- 


IO8  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

day)  was  of  the  dinner  party.  As  a  table  of  a  "  late 
king"  may  amuse  some  of  you,  take  the  following 
particulars  : — first  course,  a  pudding  made  of  Indian 
corn,  molasses  and  butter  ; — second,  veal,  bacon, 
neck  of  mutton,  potatoes,  cabbages,  carrots,  and  In- 
dian beans  ;  Madeira  wine,  of  which  each  drank  two 
glasses.  We  sat  down  to  dinner  at  one  o'clock  ;  at 
two,  nearly  all  went  a  second  time  to  church.  For 
tea,  we  had  pound  cake,  sweet  bread  and  butter,  and 
bread  made  of  Indian  corn  and  rye,  similar  to  our  brown 
home-made.  Tea  was  brought  from  the  kitchen,  and 
handed  round  by  a  neat  white  servant  girl. 

The  establishment  of  this  political  patriarch  con- 
sists of  a  house  two  stories  high,  containing,  I  believe, 
eight  rooms  ;  of  two  men  and  three  maid  servants  ; 
three  horses  and  a  plain  carriage.  How  great  is  the  con- 
trast between  this  individual,  a  man  of  knowledge  and 
information — without  pomp,  parade,  vitious  and  ex- 
pensive establishments,  as  compared  with  the  costly 
trappings,  the  depraved  characters,  and  the  profligate 

expenditure    of House,    and  !     What    a 

lesson  in  this  does  America  teach  !  There  are  now 
in  this  land  no  less  than  three  Cincinnati ! 


Hogs  in  New  York  streets. 

Yesterday  forenoon,  while  in  Broadway,  we  wit- 
nessed another  instance  of  the  impropriety  of  suffering 
Hogs  to  run  at  large  in  our  streets.  A  highly  re- 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  1 09 

spectable  and  most  worthy  young  lady,  was  literally 
run  down  by  a  large  Hog  that  was  pursued  by  a  dog. 
In  her  fall,  her  breast  struck  the  curb  stone,  and  she 
was  considerably  injured.  After  she  had  partially  re- 
covered, the  gentleman  at  whose  store  she  had  made 
some  purchases,  kindly  conveyed  her  to  her  father's 
house  in  a  carriage.  The  reader  may  easily  imagine 
the  distressing  effect  produced  on  the  mind  of  a  fond 
parent,  at  the  sight  of  a  darling  child,  whose  pale 
cheeks  plainly  indicated  her  situation.  fi@=B  What 
would  not  the  citizens  of  Boston  say  of  their  Police,  if 
Hogs  were  permitted  to  run  loose  in  the  streets? 

Columbian  Centinel,  Boston  [1817]. 


English  blunders  about  America  in  1802. 

From  the  (Newyork)  EVENING  POST. 

SPECIMENS  of  the  IGNORANCE  and  BLUNDERS  of 
English  Geographers,  Tourists,  Sfc.  6r*c.  with  respect  to 
AMERICA. 


'T^HE  Rev.  R.  Turner,  who  has  publifhed  a  book 
•*•  called  Clafllcal  Geography,  gives  the  following 
account  of  the  cities  of  Philadelphia  and  Newyork. 
"  Philadelphia,  (lays  he)  is  the  finest  and  bejl  fituated 
city  in  America,  containing  thirty  thoufand  houfes  and 
one  hundred  and  twenty  thoufand  inhabitants,  who 
are  moftly  quakers  !  !  !  "  —  "  Newyork  contains  three 
thoufand  houfes  and  twelve  thoufand  inhabitants  !  " 


I  IO  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

Another  book,  intitled  Guthrie's  improved  Geogra- 
phy, after  fetting  forth  in  the  preface  that  their  (the 
Editors)  relation  of  America,  will  be  found  both  fat- 
isfadtory  and  complete,  as  they  have  not  only  care- 
fully examined  the  works  of  the  celebrated  Morfe, 
but  likewife  applied  to  feveral  other  'authentic  fources, 
which  have  enabled  them  to  give  the  beft  information 
in  the  moft  fatisfadtory  manner,  ftates  that  "  the  city  of 
Newyork  contains  five  thoufand  inhabitants,  chiefly 
of  Dutch  extraction."  Here  is  pretty  ftrong  evidence 
of  the  diligence  of  thefe  London  bookmakers,  as  to 
applying  to  the  moft  authentic  fources  of  information, 
as  they  profefs  to  have  done.  An  impofition  of  this 
kind  in  any  American  publication,  would  afford  a  fine 
opportunity  for  an  English  Reviewer  to  rail  againft 
our  national  honefty. 

The  very  laft  edition  of  Guthrie's  original  work, 
defcribing  the  river  Hudfon,  ftates  that  this  river  is 
navigable  to  Albany,  which  is  lijix  hundred  miles  from 
Newyork" 

An  Englifti  Tourift,  whofe  name  is  not  juft  now 
recolle&ed,  has  publiftied  a  volume  of  his  travels 
through  the  United  States,  in  which  he  fpeaks  partic- 
ularly of  the  orderly  manner  in  which  Elections  are 
conducted  in  the  city  of  Newyork.  "  On  the  ap- 
pointed day,  fays  he,  all  the  citizens  take  care  to  be 
at  home  at  a  certain  hour,  at  which  time  the  infpec- 
tors  of  the  election  go  through  the  city  with  ballot 
boxes  in  their  hands,  and  call  at  every  door  for  votes, 
whereupon  the  citizens  ftep  to  their  doors  and  depofit 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  I  I  I 

their  ballots  in  thefe  fame  fmall  boxes,  which  are 
ftraightway  carried  to  the  City  Hall ;  the  votes  are 
there  examined,  and  thus  the  election  is  determined 
in  a  few  hours,  without  uproar  or  inconvenience ! ! ! " 

An  Englifh  Editor  of  a  work,  called  the  German 
Mujeum,  in  his  tranflation  of  fome  memoirs  of  Major 
Andre,  records,  that  this  unfortunate  officer  was  taken 
and  hanged  "  at  the  luejl  point  of  America" 

A  London  paper  fome  time  ago  made  mention  of 
certain  improvements  which  were  taking  place  in 
Newyork,  with  a  view  to  promote  the  health  of  the 
city,  and  obferved  that  our  corporation  were  erecting 
a  range  of  permanent  wharves  on  one  fide  of  the  city, 
which  were  to  extend  from  Corlear's  Hook  to  the 
Battery  along  the  Delaware  River  ! 

Some  notice  {hall  be  taken  hereafter  of  the  mifrep- 
refentations  and  falfehoods  of  Laincourt,  Weld,  Bu- 
low,  and  a  number  of  others,  relative  to  the  United 
States.  An  AMERICAN. 

^  Worcester  Spy. 

SECRET   LOVE. 

From  a  very  rare  volume  of  old  Poetry. 

The  fountaines  smoake,  and  yet  no  flame  they  shewe; 

Starres  shine  all  night  though  undeserned  by  daye  ; 
And  trees  do  spring  yet  are  not  seen  to  growe; 

And  shadowes  move  although  they  seem  to  staye  ; 
In  winters  woe  is  buried  summers  bliss, 
And  love  loves  most,  when  love  most  secret  is. 


112  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

The  stillest  streame  descries  the  greatest  deepe  ; 

The  clearest  skye  is  subject  to  a  shower ; 
Conceit's  most  sweete,  when  as  it  seems  to  sleepe  j 

And  fairest  dayes  do  in  the  morning  lower  : 
The  silent  groves,  sweete  nymphes  theye  cannot  misse, 
For  love  loves  most,  when  love  most  secret  is. 

The  rarest  jewels  hidden  virtue  yield, 

The  sweete  of  traffique  is  a  secret  gaine  ; 

The  yeere  once  old  doth  show  a  barren  field 

And  plants  seeme  dead,  and  yet  they  spring  again. 

Cupid  is  blind ;  the  reason  why,  is  this, 

Love  loveth  most,  when  love  most  secret  is. 

Salem  Register,  1827. 


George  the  Fourth. — The  attributes  of  this  potentate, 
who  was  the  most  popular  monarch  England  has  had 
for  many  years,  are  thus  severely  described,  by  Thomas 
Jefferson  in  his  correspondence  of  1789. 

"  He  has  not  a  single  element  of  mathematics,  of 
natural  and,  moral  philosophy,  or  of  any  other  science 
on  earth,  nor  has  the  society  he  kept  been  such  as  to 
supply  the  void  of  education.  It  has  been  that  of  the 
lowest,  the  most  illiterate  and  profligate  persons  of 
the  kingdom  without  choice  of  rank  or  mind  &  with 
whom  the  subjects  of  conversation  are  only  horses, 
drinking  matches,  bawdy  houses,  and  in  terms  the 
most  vulgar.  The  young  nobility,  who  begin  by  as- 
sociating with  him,  soon  leave  him  disgusted  with  the 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  113 

insupportable  profligacy  of  his  society  ;  and  Mr.  Fox, 
who  has  been  supposed  his  favorite,  and  not  over  nice 
in  the  choice  of  his  company,  would  never  keep  his 
company  habitually. 

"  He  has  not  a  single  idea  of  justice,  morality,  re- 
ligion or  of  the  rights  of  men,  or  any  anxiety  for  the 
opinion  of  the  world.  He  carries  that  indifference  to 
fame  so  far,  that  he  would  probably  not  be  hurt  were 
he  to  lose  his  throne,  provided  he  could  be  assured  of 
always  having  meat,  drink,  horses  &  women." 

Essex  Register,  Aug.  26,  1830. 


President    Stiles    of   Yale    College    on    the 
public  revenue. 

Extra £1  from  Prefedent  STILES';  Elettion  Sermon. 

TI)  U  T  I  pafs  on  to  another  fubjeft  in  which  the 
-•— '  welfare  of  a  community  is  deeply  concerned, 
I  mean  the  publick  revenues.  National  character 
and  national  faith  depend  on  thefe.  Every  people, 
every  large  community  is  able  to  furnifli  a  revenue 
adequate  to  the  exigences  of  government.  But  this 
is  a  moft  difficult  fubje<£t  ;  and  what  the  happieft 
method  of  raifing  it,  is  uncertain.  One  thing  is  cer- 
tain, that  however  in  moft  kingdoms  and  empires  the 
people  are  taxed  at  the  will  of  the  prince,  yet  in  Amer- 
ica, the  people  tax  themfelves,  and  therefore  cannot  tax 
themfehes  beyond  their  abilities.  But  whether  the 
power  of  taxing  be  in  an  abfolute  monarchy,  a  power 


114  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

independent  of  the  people,  or  in  a  body  ele&ed  by 
the  people,  one  great  error  has,  I  apprehend,  entered 
into 'the  fyftem  of  Revenue  and  Finance  in  almoft 
all  nations,  viz.  reftricling  the  collection  to  money. 
Two  or  three  millions  can  more  eafily  be  raifed  in 
produce,  than  one  million  in  money.  This  collected 
and  depofited  in  ftores  and  magazines,  would,  by  bills 
drawn  upon  thefe  ftores,  anfwer  all  the  expenditures 
of  war  and  peace.  In  one  country  it  has  been  tried 
with  fuccefs  for  ages  ;  I  mean  in  China,  the  wifeft 
empire  the  fun  hath  ever  (hined  upon.  And  here,  if 
I  recoiled^  aright,  not  a  tenth  of  the  Imperial  reve- 
nues hath  been  colle&ed  in  money.  In  rice,  wheat 
and  millet  only  are  colle&ed  40  millions  of  facks,  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  pounds  each,  equal  to  80 
million  bufhels  ;  in  raw  and  wrought  filk  one  million 
pounds.  The  reft  is  taken  in  fait,  wines,  cotton,  and 
other  fruits  of  labour  and  induftry,  at  a  certain  ratio 
per  cent,  and  depofited  in  ftores  over  all  the  empire. 
The  perifhable  commodities  are  immediately  fold, 
and  the  Mandarins  and  army  are  paid  by  bills  on 
thefe  magazines.  In  no  part  of  the  world  are  the 
inhabitants  lefs  opprefled  than  there. 

Massachusetts  Gazette,  Sept.  29,  1786. 


Religiously  Inclined.  —  A  gentleman  perceiving  a 
fellow  leaning  against  the  front  of  St.  Paul's  church 
yesterday,  who  was  unable  to  stand  without  some 
such  support,  asked  him  if  he  was  going  to  join  the 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  115 

church.     4  No,'  replied  Bottlenose,  c  not  edzactly  to 
jine,  but  I  'm  only  lean  —  leanin' — that  way.' 

New 

• 

Meaning  of  the  word. 

GENTLEMEN.  How  the  signification  of  words  alter 
in  the  course  of  a  century.  There  was  a  time  when 
all  persons  in  England,  below  the  rank  of  an  Esquire^ 
were  divided  into  Gentlemen,  Yeomen  and  Rascals. 
The  former  word  is  now  used  to  signify  the  individ- 
uals of  the  first  order — those  whom  you  would  take 
by  the  hand  in  the  street,  and  sup  with  of  an  evening. 
The  second  term  retains  pretty  nearly  its  original 
meaning.  But  to  make  an  application  of  the  latter 
appellative  at  this  time,  would  operate  as  an  invitation 
to  be  knocked  down.  4  Gentlemen,'  is  used  in  oppo- 
sition among  the  old  chronicles  to  '  simple  man,'  and 
neither  in  any  very  exalted  sense.  It  is  on  record, 
that  the  French  Princess,  De  La  Roche  Sur  Yon, 
receiving  a  sharp  reply  from  a  Knight,  to  whom  she 
gave  the  epithet  of  l  Gentilhomme,'  was  told  by  the 
King,  to  whom  she  complained,  that  she  deserved  all 
she  got,  for  so  offending,  herself,  in  the  first  instance. 
The  lower  people  in  England  were  commonly  '  the 
Rascality' — equivalent  to  the  '  Canaille'  of  the  French, 
or  our  own  significant  Rabble  of  the  present  day. 

In  what  sense  do  they  use  the  word  4  Gentlemen ' 
in  Congress — Eh  ? — Charleston  Gaz. 

Salem  Observer,  April  3,  1820. 


Il6  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

Profejjional  ANECDOTE  of  Dr.  FRANKLIN. 
WHEN  he  came  to  Philadelphia,  in  1723,  he  was 
firft  employed  by  one  Keimer,  an  eccentric  genius,  as 
a  preffman,  for  he  was  then  printing  an  elegy  of  his 
own  compofition,  on  the  death  of  Aifquila  Rofe — and 
as  he  had  but  one  fmall  font  of  types,  and  ufed  no 
copy,  but  compofed  the  elegy  in  the  prefs,  he  could 
not  employ  him  in  the  compofition.  Keimer  was  a 
vifionary,  whofe  mind  was  frequently  elevated  above 
the  little  concerns  of  life,  and  confequently  very  fub- 
jecl:  to  make  miftakes,  which  he  feldom  took  the  pains 
to  correct.  Franklin  had  frequently  reafoned  with 
him  upon  the  importance  of  accuracy  in  his  profeflion, 
but  in  vain.  His  fertile  head  however  foon  fur- 
nimed  him  with  an  opportunity  to  fecond  his  argu- 
ments by  proof. — They  foon  after  undertook  an  im- 
preffion  of  a  primer  that  had  been  lately  publimed  in 
New-England. — Franklin  overlooked  the  piece  ;  and 
when  his  mafter  had  fet  the  following  couplet — 
When  the  laft  trumpet  foundeth, 

We  mail  not  all  die, 
But  we  mail  all  be  changed 

In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye, 

He  privately  removed  the  letter  r,  and  it  was  printed 
off— 

When  the  laft  trumpet  foundeth, 

We  mall  not  all  die, 
But  we  mail  all  be  hanged 
In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 

Herald  of  Freedom,  June  23,  1790. 


LITERARY    CURIOS1TIKS. 


SURNAMES. 

In  the  Cambridge  Chronicle  of  Saturday,  Auguft  i, 
1772,  is  an  advertifement  laid  to  have  been  taken  from 
the  Canterbury  Journal,  which  beggars  the  lilt  of  fur- 
names  lately  enumerated : 

44  Mary  Scaredevil,  widow  of  the  late  William 
Scaredevil,  of  Maidftone,  does,  by  the  afliftance  of 
the  Almighty,  intend  to  carry  on  the  bufmefs  of 
Whitefmith,  and  hopes  for  the  favors  and  recommen- 
dations of  the  gentlemen  and  ladies  whom  the  late 
William  Scaredevil  had  the  pleafure  to  ferve,  which 
will  be  gratefully  acknowledged  by  their  molt  humble 
fervant, 

MARY   SCAREDEVIL." 

Salon  Gazette,  Nov.,  1805. 


Launching  of  the  "Grand  Turk." 

Thurfday  laft  being  a  very  pleafant  day,  great  num- 
bers of  people  aflembled  to  fee  the  launching  of  the 
large  and  beautiful  (hip  from  Mr.  DERBY'S  wharf. 
They  were,  however,  difappointed  in  the  pleafure  they 
expected,  by  her  ftopping  when  (he  had  run  about 
half  her  length :  and  all  the  efforts  which  could  be 
made  were  ineffectual  in  getting  her  ofF  at  that  time  : 
the  next  day,  however,  with  the  aid  of  proper  appara- 
tus, and  the  afliltance  of  the  people  aflembled,  Ihe 
was  again  put  in  motion,  and  gained  the  water. 


Il8  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

The  name  of  The  Grand  Turk  is  revived  in  this  fhip, 
heretofore  borne  by  a  fliip  belonging  to  Mr.  D-ERBY, 
remarkably  fuccefsful  as  a  privateer  in  the  late  war, 
and  which  was  fome  time  lince  fold  in  India. 

The  ingenious  Mr.  ENOS  BRIGGS,  from  the  North 
River,  was  the  mafter-builder  of  the  new  fhip  Grand 
Turk. 

A     CARD. 

Mr.  E.  H.  DERBY  requests  his  fellow- townsmen 
and  others,  to  accept  his  sincere  thanks  for  their  ready 
and  unwearied  exertions  to  enable  him  to  complete 
the  launching  of  his  Ship.  MAY  21. 

Mr.  GUSHING, 

The  following  lines  •  were  addrefled  to  the  Ship 
GRAND  TURK,  while  launching.  They  are  at 
your  fervice. 

Your's,  Z. 

THE  swelling  waves  roll  joyfully  along, 
To  greet  thee,  welcome  to  the  azure  main  ; 
The  gaping  multitude  in  anxious  throng, 
Their  ardent — vacant — tumult — scarce  restrain. 

Slow  o'er  the  lubrick  ways — immense — you  move, 
High  o'er  the  stern  your  flowing  honours  stand, 
In  distant  climes,  on  unknown  seas  to  prove 
The  •matchless  glory  of  your  native  land. 

For  thee — the  lofty  Cedar  nods  alone, 

The  sturdy  Oak  its  honours  lopp'd  deplores, 


LITERARY   CURIOSITIES.  I  19 

The  forest  mourns  its  tallest  beauties  gone 

To  waft  Columbian  treasure — to  the  Indian  shores. 

Doomd  to  resist  the  rage  of  warring  waves, 
Whilst  rushing  winds  impel  your  foaming  way : 
The  firm  built  sides  their  utmost  fury  brave, 
Tli*  tempest  mock — and  in  tlie  whirlwind  plop* 

Safe  may  you  reach  your  distant — dcstind  port, 
Nor  rocks — nor  treacJirous  sands — oppose  your  fame, 
May  gentle  winds  your  swelling  topsails  court, 
And  thousands  shout  you  welcome  home  again. 

Salem  Gazette,  May  24,  1791. 


The  oldest  person  who  had  lived  in  Salem 
up  to  1791. 

On  Friday  laft,  the  venerable  Mr.  JOHNSYMONDS, 
of  this  town,  entered  the  one  hundredth  year  of  his  age. 
He  is  the  only  male  perfon  who  has  arrived  at  that 
great  age,  from  the  firft  fettlement  of  the  town  by 
the  Englifli  in  1629  to  this  day. 


Irish  Litany. 

DUBLIN,  May  n. 
To  the  Printers  of  the  Rights  of  Irishmen. 

GENTLEMEN, 

I  am  enabled  by  an  invifible  power  to  communicate 
to  you,  a  Litany  fan&ioned  by  me,  and  to  be  adopted 


I2O  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

by  the  profeflbrs  of  the  patriotic  religion  of  Ireland  ; 
a  Litany  which  breathes  the  fpirit  of  that  freedom 
which  I  profeffed  when  on  earth,  and  has  been  here 
on  eternal  record  ;  if  its  principle  and  doctrine  tend 
to  enlighten  and  emancipate  your  country,  it  will  add 
(if  poffible)  to  that  indefcribable  happinefs  enjoyed 
by  him,  whom,  without  vanity,  I  may  now  call  the 
virtuous  and  patriotic 

MIRABEAU. 
Elyfium^  $tb  Feb.  1792. 

THE   LITANY. 

i  ft.  Let  there  be  a  free,  equal,  and  general  repre- 
fentation  of  your  people  in  Parliament. 

And  all  the  people  fhall  fay  amen. 
2d.  Let  there  be  a  reform  of  your  church,  an  abo- 
lition  of  tithes,  and  let  each  feel  maintain  its  own 
paftor. 

And  all,  &c. 

3d.  Let  the  people  of  my  terreftrial  country  be  an 
example  to  your  people,  and  let  their  freedom  be  your 
freedom. 

And  all,  &c. 

4th.  Let  the  fetters  which  the  nobles  of  your  land 
have  forged,  be  broken  afunder ;  and  let  thofe  who 
earn,  diftribute  the  bread  of  Ireland. 

And  all,  &c. 

5th.  Let  each  man  freely  worfhip  God  according 
to  the  dictates  of  his  confcience. 

And  all,  &c. 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  121 

6th.  Let  chriftians  be  philofophers,  and  let  philofo- 
phers  be  chriftians. 

And  all,  &c. 

yth.  Let  the  rich  few  no  longer  be  fupported  by 
taxes  on  the  many  and  unreprefented  poor. 

And  all,  &c. 

8th.  Let  all  the  fons  of  Hibernia  be  free — yea, 
even  as  free  as  the  negroes*  of  Africa. 

And  all,  &c. 

gth.  Let  truth  never  be  deemed  a  libel,  and  let  the 
Liberty  of  your  Prefs  be  extended. 

And  all,  &c. 

loth.  Let  the  noble  (tho  enlifted)  fons  of  Ireland 
never  become  the  hired  allailins  of  their  country- 
men. 

And  all,  &c. 

nth.  Let  the  army  which  eats  the  bread  of  Ire- 
land, be  her  guardian  and  protector,  and  not  the  bafe 
invader  of  her  rights  and  liberties. 

And  all,  &c. 

1 2th.  Let  him  who  firft  propofed  a  mortgage  on 
the  revenues  of  Ireland,  be  accurfed  in  the  annals  of 
your  country. 

And  all,  &c. 

1 3th.  Let  yourfelves  no  longer  be  the  (laves  of  re- 
ligion, or  fe£t,  or  party,  but  the  united  fons  of  free- 
dom and  philofophy. 

And  all,  &c. 

*  Vide  Wilberforce  on  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves. 


122  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 


I4th.  Let  the  majefty  of  your  king  reflect  the 
majefty  of  your  people. 

And  all,  &c. 
Mirabeau  fcripjit. 

Salem  Gazette,  1792. 

» 

Boston  School  of  Fashion  in  1807. 

Robert  Smallpeace, 

At  his  DRESSING  ACADEMY,  and  SCHOOL  of 
FASHION,  in  MILK  STREET,  oppoftte  the  South 
door  of  the  Old  South, 

REMINDS  the  Sons  and  Daughters 
of  Faftiion  and  Beauty,  that  tho'  they 
may  poflefs  every  latent  excellence, 
yet  they  require  the  improving  hand 
of  ART,  like  rough  diamonds,  to  ob- 
tain the  polifli  and  brilliancy  of  the 
firft  water.  What  is  elegance  of  form 
or  contour  of  beauty  without  improve- 
ment ?  like  "  a  light  hid  under  a  bufh- 

el,"  or  whatever  can  be  conceived  to  be  mojl  unlike : — 

And  it  is  a  lamentable  fa<5t,  that 

Full  many  a  mind  is  rear'd  with  toil  and  care, 
To  wafte  its  worth — by  SLOV'NLINESS  in  HAIR. 

The  tailor ^  or  milliner,  may  encafe  us  with  tafte  and 
elegance  ;  the  dancing  majler  teach  us  the  fteps  of  eafe 
and  dignity  ;  the  mufician  inftrudt  us  in  our  throats 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  123 

and  fingers  ;  and  the  preceptor  may  Inform  our  minds; 
and  yet,  with  all  thefe  accomplijhments,  can  we  even 
be  PASSABLE,  if  the  higheft  accomplifhment  of  all  be 
negle&ed  ?  and  the  HEAD  be  left  to  its  own  "diforder 
worfe  confounded,"  exhibiting  a  "paltry  crown  of  mud 
and  Jf  raw,"  placed  upon  an  "  edifice  of  ivory  and  gold!  " 
— and  further — 

What  though  the  EYE  voluptuous  roll, 

The  FORM  pojjefe  each  heavenly  grace ; 
Say,  can  they  ANY  HEART  contra/, 

Draw  FRIENDSHIP  near — bid  LOVE  take  place, 

SMALLPEACE  touch  them  ! — he  whofe  trade  is, 
make  Gods  of  Men — and  Goddefles  of  Ladies  ! 

SMALLPEACE  has  elegant  apartments  for 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen  ;  and  will  be  found  conftantly 
at  "  the  poft  of  honour,"  and  attendance,  to  wait  upon 
them.  Oa.  17  [1807]. 

Columbian  Centinel. 


The  novels  of  1833;  from  the  "Salem 
Observer,"  July  13. 

The  decidedly  bad  moral  tendency  of  some  of  the 
most  popular  novels  of  the  times  is  forcibly  depicted 
in  a  magazine  recently  established  in  England,  by 
two  of  the  sons  of  William  Cobbett,  in  the  following 
language  : — 

"  Would  you  seduce  a  wife  ?  Falkland  shall  teach 
you  to  do  it  with  gravity  and  dignity.  Would  you 


124  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

murder  ?  Eugene  Aram  shall  show  you  its  necessity 
for  the  public  advantage.  Would  you  rob  ?  Paul 
Clifford  shall  convince  you  of  the  injustice  of  security, 
and  of  the  abominableness  of  the  safety  of  a  purse  on 
a  moonlight  night.— Would  you  eat  ?  Turn  to  Harry 
Bertram  and  Dandy  Dinmont  to  the  round  of  beef. 
Would  you  drink  ?  Friar  Tuck  is  the  jolliest  of  com- 
panions. Would  you  dance,  dress,  and  drawl  ?  Pel- 
ham  shall  take  you  into  tuition.  Would  you  lie,  fawn, 
and  flatter  ?  Andrew  Wylie  shall  instruct  you  to 
crawl  upward,  without  the  slime  betraying  your  path. 
Would  you  yawn,  doze,  sleep,  or  dream  ?  Cloudesly 
shall  do  it  for  you,  for  the  space  of  the  first  volume." 


THOMAS   MOORE. 

Hostile  feelings  to  the  Americans  having  been  im- 
puted to  the  poet  MOORE  in  the  first  number  of  the 
(London)  Westminster  Review,  the  following  para- 
graph appeared  in  the  London  Times  of  the  4th  Feb., 
1824. 

"  In  the  first  number  of  the  Westminster  Review, 
just  published,  there  is  an  article  upon  a  late  work  of 
Mr.  Moore's,  in  which  the  writer  says,  '  Mr.  Moore 
has  resided  in  America,  and,  we  understand,  speaks 
of  the  Americans  with  unbounded  dislike  and  con- 
tempt.' In  this  assertion  we  can  confidently  state, 
the  writer  is  entirely  mistaken.  Whatever  opinions 
Mr.  Moore  may  have  hastily  formed,  when  a  very 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  125 

young  man,  with  respect  to  the  character  and  institu- 
tions of  the  Americans,  we  know  that  he  has  long 
since  learned  to  correct  them,  and  to  feel  towards 
that  people  all  the  admiration  and  respect  which  the 
noble  example  they  set  to  the  other  nations  of  the 
world  demands." 

Boston  Telegraph,  1824. 


From  the  "Salem  Gazette,"  Sept.  6,  18 it. 

Aiken's  blood-letting  Sermon 

for  f ale  by  Cujhing  &  Applet  on. 


From  the  "  Boston  Transcript,"  Dec.,  1834. 

OLD  TIMES. — Mr.  Thatcher  stated,  in  his  Lecture 
before  the  Boston  Lyceum,  that  the  Old  Latin  School 
in  this  City  was  commenced  two  hundred  years  ago, 
according  to  the  records  of  the  Town,  which  begin 
at  the  same  year.  For  a  long  time  it  was  the  only 
school ;  and  there  was  no  writing  school  among  us 
until  November,  1684,  (just  150  years  since.)  Mas- 
ter Cheever  presided  over  the  Latin  38  years,  till  he 
died  at  93.  He  was  the  teacher  of  two  of  the  Math- 
ers, and  the  second  Doctor  said  of  him  in  an  obituary 
essay,  with  his  own  peculiar  felicity,  that 


-to  vast  age  he  grew, 


Till  Time's  scythe  waiting  for  him  rusty  grew. 


126  LITERARY    CURIOSITIES. 

Lovell  was  his  second  successor,  and  held  on  92  years, 
till  in  1776  he  left  the  town  a  Loyalist.  The  old 
gentleman  had  a  house  furnished  for  him  in  School 
street,  and  a  garden  that  reached  nearly  to  Court 
street,  which  his  best  boys  were  allowed  to  till ;  and 
they  had  also  the  privilege  as  a  reward  of  merit  of 
sawing  his  wood  and  bottling  his  cider. — The  Lec- 
turer remarked  that  this  was  the  first  manual  labor 
school  he  had  heard  of. 


A  quotation  from  Scripture. 

"  In  the  same  day   shall   the   Lord   shave   with  a 
razor  that  is  hired." 


From  the  "Salem  Observer,"  1840. 

LITERARY  CURIOSITY.  The  following  letter  was 
written  by  a  young  gentleman  to  his  "  lady  love," 
under  the  direction  and  eye  of  a  rigid  old  father. 
The  understanding,  however,  between  the  lovers, 
was,  that  she  should  read  only  every  other  line,  be- 
ginning with  the  first.  Love  is  full  of  expedients. 
MADAM, — 

The  great  love  I  have  hitherto  expressed  for  you 
is  false,  and  I  find  that  my  indifference  toward  you 
increases  daily ;  the  more  I  see  of  you,  the  more 

you    appear    in    my    eyes    an    object    of   contempt. 

I  feel  myself  every  way  disposed  and  determined  to 


LITERARY    CURIOSITIES.  127 

hate  you.  Believe  me,  I  never  had  an  intention  to 
offer  you  my  hand.  Our  last  conversation  has 
left  a  tedious  insipidity,  which  has  by  no  means 
given  me  the  most  exalted  idea  of  your  character  j 
your  temper  would  make  me  extremely  unhappy, 
and  if  we  are  united,  I  shall  experience  nothing  but 
the  hatred  of  my  parents,  added  to  their  everlasting  dis- 
pleasure  in  living  with  you.  I  have,  indeed,  a  heart 
to  bestow,  but  I  do  not  wish  you  to  imagine  it  is 
at  your  service  ;  I  could  not  give  it  to  any  one  more 
inconsistent  and  capricious  than  yourself,  and  less 
capable  to  do  honor  to  my  choice  and  to  my  family. — 
Yes,  Madam,  /  trust  you  will  be  persuaded  that 
I  speak  sincerely ;  and  you  will  do  me  a  favor 
to  avoid  me.  I  shall  excuse  your  taking  the  trouble 
to  answer  this.  Your  letters  are  always  full  of 
impertinence,  and  you  have  not  the  least  shadow  of 
wit  or  good  sense.  Adieu  !  Adieu  !  believe  me,  I  am 
so  averse  to  you  that  it  is  impossible  for  me  ever  to  be 
your  affectionate  friend  and  ardent  lover. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

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This  book  Is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


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UC  SOUTWHN  REGKMAL  l«HAHY  FAOUTY 


A    001  338603 


